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IMagic Casements 


MCCLURE’S LIBRARY 
OF CHILDREN’S CLASSICS 


EDITED BY KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN 
AND NORA ARCHIBALD SMITH 


GOLDEN 'NUMBERS 

A BOOK OF VERSE FOR 
YOUTH 

THE POSY RING 

A BOOK OF VERSE FOR 
CHILDREN 

PINAFORE PALACE 

A BOOK OF RHYMES FOR 
THE NURSERY 

Library of Fairy Literature 

THE FAIRY RING 

MAGIC CASEMENTS 

A SECOND FAIRY BOOK 


OTHER VOLUMES TO FOLLOW 


Send to the publishers for Complete Descriptive Catalogue 



Magic Casements 


A SECOND FAIRT BOOK 


EDITED BY 

KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN 

u 

AND 

NORA ARCHIBALD SMITH 



. . . magic casements, opening on the foam 
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.” 


NEW YORK 

THE McCLURE COMPANY 
MCM VII 




T ~zs 


Copyright , 1907, by 


The McClure Company 


W 3 ! 

W 


Published, November, 1907 


|UB KARYoTcoTsRWS 
Two Copies Hecewed 

HOV 30 1 907 

COPY B. 





PUBLISHERS' NOTE 


The McClure Company wish to make acknowledgment of 
their indebtedness to the fallowing publishers: 

Longmans, Green & Company, for permission to use 
“ Alphege, or the Green Monkey ” and “ The Nixy” from the 
Yellow Fairy Book, “ The Gold Spinners ” from the Blue 
Fairy Book, “Twelve Dancing Princesses,” “The Enchanted 
Pig,” and “ Princess Rosette ” from the Red Fairy Book, 
“ Rosanella,” “ Heart of Ice,” “ Sylvain and Jocosa,” “ The 
Golden Blackbird” and “The Three Musicians” from the 
Green Fairy Book; 

G. P. Putnam's Sons, for permission to use “ The Green 
Knight” from Tales from the Fjeld, “Cap o' Rushes” from 
English Fairy Tales, “ The Stars in the Sky ” from More Eng¬ 
lish Fairy Tales, and “The Son of Seven Queens” from 
Indian Fairy Tales; 

Harper & Brothers, for permission to use “ The Gold 
Bread ” and “ Perlino ” from Laboulaye’s Fairy Book, and “ The 
Butterfly ” from The Fairy Book. 


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PREFACE 


Did you ever read of the Prince of Serendib who, in his 
quest for a certain treasure, discovered a hundred other objects 
of infinite value which he had not been looking for at all? 

So, in editing our first fairy book, and searching for cer¬ 
tain treasure stories to adorn it, we came upon myriads of 
other gems which clamored by their very brilliancy to be borne 
away and set where their beauty might more readily be seen. 
Some of these gems you will find in the present volume, gath¬ 
ered from the fairy mines of many distant countries — Norway, 
Sweden, Denmark, Spain, France, Germany, England, Russia, 
Italy, Roumania, Africa, Japan, Southern India, as well as 
from the treasure-houses of our own American Indians. The 
stories are a little more elaborate, more poetic, more romantic 
in tone than those in “ The Fairy Ring” for our audience has 
grown a year older since the publication of the first volume, 
and we have reserved for the future certain fantastic, extrava¬ 
gant, wonderful, and mirth-provoking tales which do not prop¬ 
erly belong with these graceful narratives of fairy stratagems 
and loves, fairy sorrows and triumphs. 

We have called this book “Magic Casements,” mindful of 
the famous line of the poet-youth, John Keats: " . . . Magic 
Casements opening on the foam of perilous seas in faery lands 
forlorn.” We have imagined children of all ages as gazing, 

vii 


PREFACE 

spellbound, through these enchanted windows—Little Wonder- 
Eyes, the wistful child; Eager-Heart, the adventurous boy, 
and Golden-Hair, the dreaming maiden. The perils will not 
seriously affright them, nor the lands seem too forlorn, for they 
have learned that there is really nothing so light-hearted nor so 
fortunate as a fairy, after all; and be their favorite princess 
never so hedged about with dangers they know (and we do 
believe she knows, too), that at the end of the chapter she 
marries the prince and lives happily ever after. Childhood 
has this in common with the divellers in fairyland that ogres 
have no power to prevail against its simplicity, its innocence, 
and its unconsciousness of evil. 

Eager-Heart and Wonder-Eyes, 

Golden-Hair, maid dear and wise, 

Seas of Peril will not harm, 

Vile Enchanters cast no charm ,— 

So the Book of Magic saith ,— 

If you keep your childhood faith. 

K. D. W. 

N. A. S. 


\ 


viii 


Maid Lena 


NCE upon a time there was a farmer who had three sons. 
f J The eldest was called Peter, the second Paul, and the 
third Esben. Now Peter and Paul were a couple of 
strong, wide-awake lads; they could hear, and see, and laugh, 
and play, and sow, and reap, so they were very useful to their 
father. But the youngest was a poor sort of do-nothing fel¬ 
low, who never had a word to say, but went mooning about 
like one in a dream, or sat over the fire and raked up the ashes; 
so they called him Esben Ash-rake. 

The farm stood amid fertile fields and fair green meadows; 
but in their midst lay a tract of barren, worthless moorland, 
strewn over with stones and overgrown with heather. Here 
Esben loved to lie asleep and dreaming, or staring up at the 
sky. 

Peter and Paul, however, could not bear to see that bit of 
waste land, so their father gave them leave to see what they 
could do with it. True, there was an old story about the land 
belonging to the fairies, but, of course, that was all nonsense. 
So Peter and Paul set to work with a will; they dug up all the 
stones, and put them in a heap on one side; and then they 
plowed and sowed their new field. They sowed it with wheat, 
and it did well all through the winter, and in the spring gave 
promise of a splendid crop. 

Not one of their other fields looked half so well, until Mid¬ 
summer Eve, when there came a sudden end to all their satis¬ 
faction—for on that night the whole crop was utterly destroyed. 
The entire field looked as if it had been trodden under foot; 
every blade of wheat was so crushed and beaten down that it 
could never recover or lift itself up again. 

[3] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

No one could understand how such a thing had happened, 
so there remained nothing to do but plow the field afresh, and 
let the grass grow. 

Next spring there was finer and better grass there than in 
any of their meadows, but just the same thing happened again. 
On Midsummer Eve all the grass was trodden down and beaten 
out as if with a flail, so they got no profit out of the field that 
year. Then they plowed it once more, let it lie fallow through 
the winter, and in the spring sowed their field with flax. It 
came up beautifully, and before Midsummer Eve was in full 
flower. It was a pretty sight, and Peter and Paul surveyed it 
with pride and joy; but, remembering what had taken place the 
two former years, they agreed that one of them should keep 
watch there on the fateful night. Peter, as the eldest, wished 
to undertake this duty; so, arming himself with a stout cudgel, 
he sat down on the great bank of stones he had helped to pile 
up when they cleared the land. 

It was a beautifully mild evening, clear and still. Peter quite 
meant to keep wide awake. For all that, however, he fell asleep, 
and never woke till midnight, when there came a fearful rush¬ 
ing and roaring overhead, that made the ground beneath him 
shake and tremble; and when he tried to look about him the 
whole sky was pitchy black. But in the midst of it all, there 
shone something red that looked like a fiery dragon, and the 
whole field seemed to roll from side to side, till he began to 
feel as if he were being tossed in a blanket; and there was 
such a roaring and buzzing in his ears that at last he be¬ 
came completely dazed. He could not bear it any longer, but 
was glad enough to escape with a whole skin, and get safely 
home. 

Next day the flax lay there, trodden down and beaten out, 
till the whole field looked as smooth and bare as a deal board, 
so that after that neither Peter nor Paul cared to bestow any 
more labor upon the land, and the next spring the entire place 
was overgrown with grass and wild flowers. There were 
white lady’s-smocks, blue corn-flowers, and scarlet poppies; the 
heather, too, came creeping and peeping up everywhere among 

[4] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the stones and flowers, for while the brothers were working 
away so hard with plow and harrow, the heather had lain 
snugly hidden in little nooks and crannies. 

And now nobody troubled himself any further about the 
field except Esben, who liked it far better this year than he 
had done the three previous summers, and he used to go there 
oftener than ever and lie staring up at the blue sky. 

Late on Midsummer Eve he slipped out of the house (after 
having slept most of the day), for he meant to keep watch all 
that night. He wanted to know what it was that went on there 
every Midsummer Eve, and whether it was the work of fairy- 
folk or other folk. 

Close to the heap of stones there stood a tall tree, an old ash 
that had stood there many hundred years. Esben climbed up 
into this tree, sat very still, and kept wide awake till midnight. 
Then he, too, heard a roaring and a rushing that seemed to fill 
the air, and he, too, saw the sky grow as dark as if a carpet 
were spread down over it; and out of the black sky he saw a red 
gleam come. It came nearer and nearer till it took the form of 
a fiery dragon, with three heads and three long necks. As the 
dragon drew nearer, the storm increased, and a whirlwind, 
rushed round and round the field, until each single blade and 
stalk lay there crushed and ground down, as if it had been 
trampled under foot. The old ash-tree lashed about him with 
its branches, while its aged trunk swayed to and fro so violently 
that Esben had to hold on tight, lest the whirlwind should blow 
him away. 

Then all at once it grew quite still and quiet; the sky was 
clear again, and instead of a dragon with three heads, Esben 
now saw what looked like three large swans. But as they 
came nearer he saw they were three young girls, partly dis¬ 
guised in the form and plumage of swans, with great white 
wings and long, flowing veils; and they sank slowly down 
through the air to the foot of the old ash where Esben was. 
Then they cast aside their feathery disguise, the wings folded 
themselves together, and there, at the foot of the tree, lay three 
white veils as fine as cobwebs. They themselves, however, 

[5J 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

rose and danced, hand in hand, round and round the field, sing¬ 
ing all the while. 

Never had Esben heard anything so enchanting, never had 
he seen anything so beautiful, as these young girls in their 
white robes and with golden crowns upon their heads. For a 
long time he was afraid to move, lest he should frighten them 
away; but at length he slipped softly down, picked up the three 
white veils, and climbed as noiselessly up again. 

The three swan-princesses had not noticed anything, but 
went on dancing round and round the meadow until three hours 
after midnight. Then they came back to the tree, and wanted 
to put on their veils again. But there were no veils to be found. 
They ran about, looking and looking, till at last they saw Es¬ 
ben up in the tree. They spoke to him, and said they were 
sure he had taken their veils. 

“ Yes/’ Esben told them, “ he had them.” 

Then they entreated him to let them have them again, or they 
should be utterly ruined, they said. And they wept and im¬ 
plored, and promised to give him so much money for the veils 
that he would be richer than any king in the land. 

Esben sat and gazed at them. How beautiful they were! 
So he told them they should not have their veils unless one of 
them would consent to be his wife. 

“ Ah, no,” said one. 

“ Certainly not! ” cried the second. 

But the third and youngest princess said: 

“ Yes, only bring us our veils.” 

Esben gave the other two their veils, but refused to let the 
third have hers until she gave him her hand and a kiss, and 
put a ring on his finger, and promised to come and be married 
to him next Midsummer Eve. 

“ We are three sisters,” answered the princess, “ and were 
brought up in a castle that used to stand on this very spot. 
But a long, long time ago we were carried off by a wicked fairy, 
who keeps us imprisoned ten thousand miles from here, and 
only on Midsummer Eve are we allowed to revisit our old home. 
Now you must build a castle on this very spot, where our mar- 

[ 6 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

riage also can take place, and everything must be arranged on 
a princely scale. You may invite as many guests as you please, 
only not the king of the land. You shall not lack money. 
Break off a twig from the ash-tree you climbed, strike the larg¬ 
est of the stones lying at its root, and say, ‘ For Maid Lena! ’ 
The stone will roll back, and under it you will find all you may 
require. You can open and shut your treasure-house, as often 
as you like to repeat these words, with a stroke of the ash- 
twig. And so farewell till then/’ she said; and she wound 
her veil about her head, as her sisters had already done; then 
it spread out like two white wings, and all three princesses 
flew away. 

At first they looked like three white swans; but they rose 
higher and higher till they were nothing but little white specks, 
and then they were lost to sight, and at the same moment the 
first ray of sunlight fell across the field. 

For a long time Esben stood gazing after them, quite stunned 
with all he had seen and heard. At last he roused himself, 
tore a twig from the ash-tree, and struck the stone, with the 
words, “ For Maid Lena! ” 

Immediately the stone rolled back, and beneath it was the 
entrance to a royal treasure-house, full of silver and gold, and 
precious stones and costly jewels, and goblets and dishes, and 
candelabra, all of the most artistic form and design—in short, 
everything was there that could adorn a king’s table. 

Esben took as many gold and silver coins as he could carry, 
struck the stone again, repeating the same words, and then 
went back to the farm. His father and brothers hardly knew 
him again; he wasn’t like the same man. He walked with head 
erect, his hair was thrown back from his forehead, his eyes 
were shining, and he looked full of life and energy. 

Then he told them he knew now who it was that had 
destroyed their harvest the three previous summers. That 
piece of land was not to be cultivated; but he intended building 
a castle there, and there his wedding was to take place next 
Midsummer Eve. 

At first they thought he had lost his wits; but when they 

[7] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

saw all the silver and gold he had brought with him, they 
changed their opinions, and let him give what orders he 
pleased. 

And now began a busy time, the like of which was never 
seen, with ax and saw, and hammer and plane, and line and 
trowel, so that on Midsummer Eve the castle stood complete, 
with tower and turret, and roof and pinnacle all glittering with 
gold. 

Now it so happened that just before Midsummer Eve, after 
all the invitations were out, Esben’s father and mother met the 
king, who had arranged a little trip into the country, and had 
contrived that his route should take him past the castle of which 
he had heard so much. Of course the farmer took off his hat 
to the king, who lifted his in return, and said he had heard of 
the grand wedding that was being prepared for his youngest 
son, and added: 

“ I should like to see him and his young bride.” 

Well, the farmer did not see that he could do otherwise than 
say that they should feel it a very great honor if the king 
would come to the wedding. 

So then the king thanked him, and said that it would give 
him great pleasure, and then he rode on. 

The wedding-day came, and the guests came, and the king 
came too. 

Esben was there, but as yet no bride had appeared. People 
began to whisper that things were not quite right, that Esben’s 
bride had come to him in a dream, and vanished with the dream. 

About sunset Esben went and stood in front of the castle, 
and gazed up into the air. , 

“ Oho! ” said the folks, “ she is to come that road, is she ? 
Then she is neither more nor less than one of the crazy fancies 
Esben’s head is always full of.” 

But Esben remained quite undisturbed; he had seen the 
swans coming flying through the air, and now he knew that 
she was near at hand. 

Directly afterward there came rolling up to the castle gates 
a magnificent golden chariot, drawn by six white horses. 

[ 8 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Esben sprang to the carriage door, and there sat the bride, 
radiantly beautiful. But the first thing she said was: 

“ Is the king come?” and Esben was obliged to say, “ Yes; 
but he invited himself, we did not ask him. ,, 

“ That makes no difference/’ she said. “ If I were to be¬ 
come a bride here to-day, the king would have to be the bride¬ 
groom, and it would cost you your life, which would make me 
most unhappy, for I wish to marry you, and no one else. And 
now you will have to come to me, if you can, and that before 
the year is out, or it will be too late. I live ten thousand miles 
from here, in a castle south of the sun, west of the moon, and 
in the center of the earth.” 

When she had thus spoken, she drove off at a tremendous 
pace, and directly afterward Esben saw a flock of swans rise 
up in the air and disappear among the clouds. 

So he took his staff in his hand, left everything, and set off 
on his wanderings through the wide, wide world to seek and 
find his bride. He made straight for the south, and he wan¬ 
dered for days and for weeks, and wherever he came he asked 
people if they knew the castle, but there was no one who had 
ever even heard the name. 

So at last, one day, out in a wood, he came upon two ter¬ 
ribly grim-looking fellows fighting. Esben stopped and asked 
them what they were fighting about. They told him they were 
fighting for an old hat that was lying close by; their father 
was dead, and now they wanted to divide their inheritance, but 
the hat they could not divide. 

“ The hat is not worth much,” said Esben. 

But the dwarfs said this hat was not like other hats, for it 
possessed this peculiarity: whoever put it on became invisible, 
and so they both wanted to have it. 

And then they fell to again, and fought and struggled. 

“ Well, fight away till you are friends again,” said Esben, as 
he snatched up the hat, put it on his head, and went his way. 

When he had gone some little distance he came upon two 
other dwarfs, who were fighting savagely. They also wanted 
to divide their father’s property, which consisted solely in a 

[9] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

pair of boots, but whoever put them on went a hundred miles 
with each step, so both brothers wanted them. 

Esben began a conversation with them, and when he had 
learned the state of affairs he advised them to run a race for 
the boots. 

“ Now, I will throw a stone,” said he, “ and you must run 
after it, and whoever gets there first, shall have the boots.” 

This they agreed to, so Esben threw the stone, and they set 
off running. 

Meanwhile Esben had put on the boots, and the first step 
carried him a hundred miles away. 

Once again he came upon two dwarfs quarreling over their 
inheritance, which could not be divided, and which both wanted 
to have. This was a rusty old clasp-knife, but it possessed 
this virtue, they said: If you opened it, and just pointed at any 
one with it, they fell down dead; and then if you shut it up 
again, and touched them with it, they became alive again 
directly. 

“ Let me look at the knife,” said Esben; “ I shall be able to 
advise you, for I have settled such quarrels before.” 

When he had got it, he wanted to prove it, so he opened it, 
and pointed it at the two dwarfs, who immediately fell down 
dead. 

“ That’s right,” said Esben; so he shut up the knife and 
touched them with it, and they jumped up again directly. 

Esben put the knife in his pocket, said good-by, put his hat 
on his head, and in another second was a hundred miles away. 

He went on and on till evening, when he came to a little 
house that stood in the middle of a thick wood. A very old 
woman lived there; so old that she was all overgrown with 
moss. 

Esben greeted her politely, and asked if she could tell him 
where the castle was that stood south of the sun, west of the 
moon, and in the center of the earth. 

“ No,” she said; “ she had never heard of such a castle. But 
she ruled over all the beasts of the field, and she could call 
them together, and ask if any one of them knew.” So she blew 

[10] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

her whistle, and wild beasts came gathering round them from 
all sides. They came running at full speed, all except the fox; 
he came sneaking behind in a very bad temper, for he was just 
going to catch a goose when he heard the whistle, and was 
obliged to come away and leave it. But neither the fox nor 
any one of the animals knew anything about the castle. 

“ Well, then, you must go to my sister,” said the old wom¬ 
an ; “ she rules over all the birds of the air. If she cannot help 
you, no one can. She lives three hundred miles south of this, 
on the top of a high mountain. You cannot miss your way.” 

So Esben set off again, and soon came to the bird mountain. 

The old woman who lived there had never heard of the 
castle south of the sun, west of the moon, and in the center 
of the earth; but she whistled with her pipe, and all the birds 
came flocking from all four corners of the earth. She asked 
them if they knew the castle, but there was not one of them 
who had ever been so far. 

“ Ah! but the old eagle is not here,” she said, and whistled 
again. 

At last the old eagle came sailing heavily along, his wings 
whirring and whizzing, and alighted on the top of a tree. 

“ Where do you come from? ” said the old woman. “ You 
come too late; your life must pay the forfeit.” 

“ I come from the castle south of the sun, west of the moon, 
and in the center of the earth,” said the eagle. “ I have a nest 
and young ones there, and I was obliged to see after them a 
little before I could leave them and fly so far away.” 

The old woman answered that his life should be spared if he 
would conduct Esben to the castle. 

The eagle thought he could manage that, if he were allowed 
to stop and rest the night. 

Next morning Esben got up on to the eagle’s back, and the 
eagle flew away with him—high, high up in the air, and far 
away over the stormy ocean. 

When they had gone a long, long way, the eagle said : 

“ Do you see anything out yonder ? ” 

“ I see something like a high, black wall close upon us! ” 

[ii] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Ah! that is the earth; we have to go through that. Hold 
fast; for if you were to get killed, my life would have to pay 
the forfeit.” 

So they flew straight into the pitch-dark cave. Esben held 
fast, and almost directly afterward he saw daylight again. 

When they had gone a little farther, the eagle said again: 

" Do you see anything out yonder ? ” 

“ I see something like a great glass mountain,” said Esben. 

“ That is water,” said the eagle; “ we have to go through 
that. Hold fast; for if you were to get killed, my life would 
have to pay the forfeit.” 

So they plunged right into the. water, and came safely 
through. Then they flew some distance through the air, and 
the eagle said again: 

“ Do you see anything out yonder ? ” 

“ I see only flames of fire,” said Esben. 

u We have to go through that,” said the eagle. “ Creep well 
under my feathers, and hold fast; for if you should get killed, 
my life would have to pay the forfeit.” 

So they flew straight into the fire, but they passed safely 
through. Then the eagle sank slowly down, and alighted on 
the land. 

“ Now,” said he, “ I must rest awhile; but we have five hun¬ 
dred miles farther to go.” 

“ Ah! now I can carry you,” said Esben; so he took the 
eagle on his back, and with five strides they were there. 

“ Now we have come too far,” said the eagle. “ Can you 
step ten miles backward ? ” 

“ No, I can’t do that,” said Esben. 

“ Then we must fly those ten miles,” said the eagle. 

So they arrived safe and sound at the castle south of the sun, 
west of the moon, and in the center of the earth. That was a 
castle, the like of which was not to be found in all the world. It 
shone from top to bottom like pure gold. 

When Esben came to the castle gate, he sat down, and pres¬ 
ently a serving-maid passed him on her way into the castle. 
He called to her: 


[12] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Greet Maid Lena, and beg her for a goblet of wine for a 
weary wayfarer.” 

The girl brought the message to the princess, who ordered 
her own golden goblet to be filled with wine, and sent the girl 
out with it. 

When Esben had drunk the wine, he threw his ring into the 
goblet—the ring she had given him the day they first met. The 
princess recognized the ring directly, so she ran down and 
embraced Esben, and led him into the castle. 

“ Now I have got you, I must let you go again directly,” she 
said; “ and you must journey all the long way back in my swan- 
garb, for if the witch who has enchanted us should catch sight 
of you, she would change you into stone with a single glance.” 

“ There is a remedy for that,” said Esben; “ only take me 
to her.” 

So Esben put on his invisible hat, took his knife in his hand, 
went up to the old witch, and just pointed at her, and she fell 
down dead. So he had her buried forty fathoms underground, 
and then he married his princess, and he is married to her still. 


[13] 


Rajeb's Reward 

X^JAJEB was a youth of Cairo, who had inherited from his 
father a fortune of about two thousand piasters. Had 
JL he invested his little capital in trade, and had he been 
industrious, he might have done very well; but shortly after 
his father’s death he must needs fall in love with a beautiful 
girl, and then he could think of nothing else. He had met the 
maiden accidentally at the fountain of a mosque, and she had 
drawn aside her veil for a moment in order to drink. She was 
plainly dressed, and appeared to belong to some humble but 
respectable family. As soon as she became aware of the young 
man’s admiring gaze she replaced her veil with modest haste, 
and hurried away, not once looking backward over her shoul¬ 
der, which showed that she was no coquette. Rajeb followed 
her and saw her enter a small house, of the kind occupied by 
middle-class folk. He had fallen in love at first sight, and lost 
no time in making inquiries concerning his enchantress. He 
could learn no more of her, however, than the fact that she was 
as good as she was beautiful. 

He then called upon her parents, and boldly asked them to 
give him their daughter in marriage. They seemed not averse 
to the match, but when the subject of her dowry was discussed, 
he was astounded to hear that they demanded of their daugh¬ 
ter’s husband no less than five thousand piasters. In vain the 
disconcerted lover protested that such a sum was beyond his 
means; he was told that he must either pay the money or lose 
the girl. As the latter alternative was intolerable, he begged 
that they would allow him a few days’ delay. This request was 
granted, but if, said the parents, he did not appear within the 
appointed time, they should consider themselves at liberty to 
accept other proposals. 


[14] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Rajeb, as he returned to his home, reproached himself for 
having idled away his past time. “ Ah! ” he said to himself, 
“ if only I had worked hard, I might now have been rich enough 
to purchase my happiness! ” He took out his money and 
counted it again and again, but no amount of counting or of 
wishing would make it more than two thousand piasters. He 
went to bed, but could not sleep for thinking of possible and 
impossible ways and means of procuring the rest of the money. 
At last a plan that seemed feasible presented itself to his mind. 
There lived at Tantah an old uncle, whom he had not seen for 
eighteen years, and who was said to be rich. “ I will look him 
up,” thought Rajeb, “ and beg of him to lend me the three 
thousand piasters; surely he will not refuse! ” And he longed 
for the day, that he might set out upon this hopeful quest. 

Morning dawned at length, and Rajeb started on his journey. 
In order both to be and to appear economical, he walked all the 
way. Just as he reached the first houses of Tantah, he met 
some boys, of whom he inquired for his uncle, “ the rich Jou¬ 
soff.” “ The rich Jousoff! ” echoed they, in derision. “ Say, 
rather, * the beggarly old miser Jousoff/ who hates to fling 
away a bone after he has picked it clean.” 

At these words the youth’s heart sank within him. How¬ 
ever, he asked one of the lads to take him to his uncle’s house. 
There he beheld a withered, ragged, dirty old man, who saluted 
him roughly with: 

“ What do you want ? ” 

“ Oh, dear uncle! ” exclaimed Rajeb, “ do you not remember 
me? I am your sister’s son, Rajeb—little Rajeb, whom you 
used to love. I have come to see you. How are you, dear 
uncle ? ” 

“ Oh, I am quite well,” said the old man; “ quite well, but 
very poor. I shall be unable to offer you very splendid hospi¬ 
tality.” 

“ What of that? ” returned Rajeb cheerfully. “ Both riches 
and poverty come from Heaven.” 

Thus conversing, they entered Jousoff’s room, which was 
exceedingly dark and dingy, and contained no furniture but an 

[ 15 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

old mat and a jar of water. Neither pipes nor coffee were to 
be seen. Rajeb, however, was good-humored and apparently 
contented. The two supped that evening upon a morsel of de¬ 
testable cheese and some crusts of coarse black bread. The 
cheese was an unusual luxury, procured especially for the occa¬ 
sion, and the neighbors who saw the old man go out and buy 
it could scarcely believe their eyes. 

Rajeb was not accustomed to rich fare, but after his toilsome 
journey he really stood in need of a good substantial supper. 
When the meager meal was ended, he tried to guide the con¬ 
versation into a channel suitable for the introduction of his re¬ 
quest. The old man quickly understood his hints. Anticipa¬ 
ting his purpose, he cried: “I am a beggar! No dervish is 
poorer than I! All the world robs me. I have spent my last 
para upon a supper for you. I am ruined! ” By glowing 
descriptions of the girl’s beauty and his own passion of love 
for her, Rajeb strove in vain to soften the miser’s heart. Find¬ 
ing that he could make no impression upon that stony organ, 
he rose at length, and, muttering something about needing a 
breath of fresh air, went out to conceal his intense disappoint¬ 
ment and chagrin. 

Outside the house, a lean ass was lying in a small shed 
munching some miserable scraps of straw. Rajeb, who loved 
animals, pitied the poor, starved creature; and, after caress¬ 
ing him, went to a shop and bought some barley, which he 
gave him, together with a drink of water. After that, he re¬ 
turned to his uncle’s house, in which he spent a most uncom¬ 
fortable night, lying upon the floor. In the morning, after 
another wretched repast, the nephew was about to take his leave 
when Jousoff remarked: “ I have an ass which is of no use to 
me. It is all the property left to me, and if you like you may— 
accompany me to the market and see me sell it.” Rajeb agreed 
to the proposal, and they went together to the ass’s stall. The 
young man bestowed another caress upon the poor animal, 
which looked at him with strangely meaningful eyes, and struck 
the ground with his foot several times. He seemed to Rajeb to 
say, “ Buy me.” 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

All the way to the market our hero was debating within him¬ 
self as to whether or not he should buy the ass, in answer to his 
mute appeal. Something—he knew not what, unless it were a 
feeling of compassion—strongly impelled him to do so. When 
the little party had reached their destination, several would-be 
purchasers presented themselves, for the animal was young, and 
had no other fault than the skinniness produced by starvation. 
One said he would give two hundred piasters, another offered 
three hundred, another five hundred. Rajeb, perceiving that 
his uncle was willing to take the last-named sum, offered a 
few piasters more, making sure that he should now get the ass. 

“ What on earth do you want with the beast ? ” inquired his 
avaricious relative. 

“ I am resolved to possess it,” replied Rajeb. 

“ Well, then,” said the old man, with a greedy look, “ give 
me a thousand piasters, and it shall be yours.” 

And as by this time the youth felt that at any cost (although 
he knew not why) he must have the ass, he agreed at length 
even to this exorbitant demand and the bargain was concluded. 

As nearly all Rajeb’s money was at Cairo, he invited his 
uncle to accompany him thither, in order to get his piasters. 
Since he had changed masters, the ass seemed a different crea¬ 
ture, and fairly danced to the city. There Rajeb duly handed 
over to his uncle the stipulated sum, and entertained him very 
hospitably for a few days, after which Jousoff said farewell, 
and departed to his own home. His nephew at once set to 
work making a stall for his new possession, which enjoyed now 
an abundance of food and careful tending. Meanwhile, the 
poor old miser, homeward-bound, had been attacked, plun¬ 
dered, and slain by highway robbers. When the news reached 
the ears of kind-hearted Rajeb, he shed a tear over his uncle’s 
sad fate, and set off again for Tantah. He was next of kin 
to the dead man, but, with the remembrance of his recent visit 
fresh in his mind, he did not expect to reap much benefit from 
his heirship, notwithstanding the reputation for wealth which 
Jousoff had acquired. 

This time, Rajeb rode upon his ass. After putting up his 

[ 17] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

steed in his old stall, he proceeded to search the house. In that 
miserable hovel, not a para, not a single thing of any value, was 
to be found. All the time that Rajeb was examining the prem¬ 
ises, the ass whined and brayed. Thinking he needed food 
and drink, his master went out several times, and fetched him 
straw, water, and barley; but they lay untouched, and the ani¬ 
mal continually stamped with his foot upon the floor of the 
stall. 

An idea occurred to Rajeb. “ Why do you do that?” said 
he, whereupon the ass stamped still more vigorously than 
before. His master, seizing a rusty iron bar which lay near, 
began to turn up the ground, the ass looking on with evident 
pleasure and satisfaction, his wonderfully expressive eyes 
seeming to say: “ That is right! Go on; it is there.” And 
presently Rajeb discovered a coffer! When he opened it, he 
found, to his unspeakable delight, that it was filled with 
doubloons, sequins, and precious coins of every sort. Still the 
ass would not allow him to rest. Again—this time in another 
spot—he beat the ground with his foot. Rajeb eagerly obeyed, 
and his digging soon brought to light another coffer, full of 
rubies, pearls, emeralds, and other magnificent gems. The ass 
appeared now perfectly satisfied, and stamped no more. 

Upon the back of the willing beast, the treasure—a heavy 
load—was quickly carried to Cairo. Rajeb hastened to his 
lady’s house, and was just in time to prevent her marriage with 
an old Turk who had agreed to give the five thousand piasters 
demanded by her parents. Rajeb had only to exhibit to the 
father a very small part of his acquisition in order to induce 
him to break off the projected match, and bestow his daughter 
upon such a highly desirable husband as the once rejected 
suitor had now become. 

The wedding took place immediately, and Rajeb and his wife 
lived most happily together for many years. The ass which 
had brought such good fortune was treated always as a dear 
friend, and the only task imposed upon him was that of some¬ 
times carrying his mistress and her children. Every one loved 
and petted him, and he lived in clover until the end of his days. 

[18] 


Alphege; or, The Green Monkey 

7i y^ANY years ago there lived a king who was twice 

/l/jf married. His first wife, a good and beautiful 
J. f JL woman, died at the birth of her little son, and the 
king her husband was so overwhelmed with grief at her loss 
that his only comfort was in the sight of his heir. 

When the time for the young prince’s christening came the 
king chose as godmother a neighboring princess, so celebrated 
for her wisdom and goodness that she was commonly called 
“ the good queen/’ She named the baby Alphege and from 
that moment took him to her heart. 

Time wipes away the greatest griefs, and after two or three 
years the king married again. His second wife was a princess 
of undeniable beauty, but by no means of so amiable a disposi¬ 
tion as the first queen. In due time a second prince was born, 
and the queen was devoured with rage at the thought that 
Prince Alphege came between her son and the throne. She 
took care, however, to conceal her jealous feelings from the 
king. 

At length she could control herself no longer, so she sent a 
trusty servant to her old and faithful friend the fairy of the 
mountain, to beg her to devise some means by which she might 
get rid of her stepson. 

The fairy replied that much as she desired to be agreeable 
to the queen in every way, it was impossible for her to attempt 
anything against the young prince, who was under the protec¬ 
tion of some greater power than her own. 

The “ good queen ” on her side watched carefully over her 
godson. She was obliged to do so from a distance, her own 
country being a remote one, but she was well informed of all 

[19] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

that went on and knew all about the queen’s wicked designs. 
She therefore sent the prince a large and splendid ruby, with 
injunctions to wear it night and day, as it would protect him 
from all attacks, but added that the talisman only retained 
its power as long as the prince remained within his father’s 
dominions. The wicked queen knowing this made every 
attempt to get the prince out of the country, but her efforts 
failed, till one day accident did what she was unable to ac¬ 
complish. 

The king had an only sister who was deeply attached to him 
and who was married to the sovereign of a distant country. 
She had always kept up a close correspondence with her 
brother, and the accounts she heard of Prince Alphege made 
her long to become acquainted with so charming a nephew. 
She entreated the king to allow the prince to visit her, and after 
some hesitation, which was overruled by his wife, he finally 
consented. 

Prince Alphege was at this time fourteen years old and the 
handsomest and most engaging youth imaginable. In his in¬ 
fancy he had been placed in the charge of one of the great 
ladies of the court, who, according to the prevailing custom, 
acted first as his head nurse and then as his governess. When 
he outgrew her care her husband was appointed as his tutor 
and governor, so that he had never been separated from this 
excellent couple, who loved him as tenderly as they did their 
only daughter Zayda, and were warmly loved by him in return. 

When the prince set forth on his travels it was but nat¬ 
ural that this devoted couple should accompany him, and 
accordingly he started with them, attended by a numerous 
retinue. 

For some time he traveled through his father’s dominions 
and all went well; but soon after passing the frontier they had 
to cross a desert plain under a burning sun. They were glad 
to take shelter under the first group of trees, and here the prince 
complained of burning thirst. Luckily a tiny stream ran close 
by and some water was soon procured, but no sooner had he 
tasted it than he sprang from his carriage and disappeared in a 

[ 20 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

moment. In vain did his anxious followers seek for him—he 
was nowhere to be found. 

As they were hunting and shouting through the trees a great 
black monkey suddenly appeared on a point of rock and cried: 
“ Poor sorrowing people, you are seeking your prince in vain. 
Return to your own country and know that he will not be re¬ 
stored to you till you have for some time failed to recognize 
him.” 

With these words he vanished, leaving the courtiers sadly 
perplexed; but as all their efforts to find the prince were use¬ 
less they had no choice but to go home, bringing with them the 
sad news, which so greatly distressed the king that he fell ill 
and died not long after. 

The queen, whose ambition was boundless, was delighted to 
see the crown on her son’s head and to have the power in her 
own hands. Her hard rule made her very unpopular, and it 
was commonly believed that she had made away with Prince 
Alphege. Indeed, had the king, her son, not been deservedly 
beloved a revolution would certainly have arisen. 

Meantime the former governess of the unfortunate Alphege, 
who had lost her husband soon after the king’s death, retired 
to her own house with her daughter, who grew up a lovely and 
most lovable girl, and both continued to mourn the loss of their 
dear prince. 

The young king was devoted to hunting and often indulged 
in his favorite pastime, attended by the noblest youths in his 
kingdom. One day, after a long morning’s chase, he stopped 
to rest near a brook in the shade of a little wood, where a splen¬ 
did tent had been prepared for him. While at luncheon he 
suddenly spied a little monkey of the brightest green sitting on 
a tree and gazing so tenderly at him that he felt quite moved. 
He forbade his courtiers to frighten the animal, and the 
monkey, noticing how much attention was being paid him, 
sprang from bough to bough and at length gradually ap¬ 
proached the king, who offered him some food. The monkey 
took it very daintily and finally came to the table. The king 
took him on his knees and, delighted with his capture, brought 

[21 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the creature home with him. He would trust no one else with 
his care, and the whole court soon talked of nothing but the 
pretty green monkey. 

One morning, as Prince Alphege’s governess and her daugh¬ 
ter were alone together, the little monkey sprang in through an 
open window. He had escaped from the palace, and his man¬ 
ners were so gentle and caressing that Zayda and her mother 
soon got over the first fright he had given them. He had spent 
some time with them and quite won their hearts by his insinu¬ 
ating ways, when the king discovered where he was and sent to 
fetch him back. But the monkey made such piteous cries, and 
seemed so unhappy when any one attempted to catch him, that 
the two ladies begged the king to leave him a little longer with 
them, to which he consented. 

One evening, as they sat by the fountain in the garden, the 
little monkey kept gazing at Zayda with such sad and loving 
eyes that she and her mother could not think what to make of 
it, and they were still more surprised when they saw big tears 
rolling down his cheeks. 

Next day both mother and daughter were sitting in a jas¬ 
mine bower in the garden, and they began to talk of the green 
monkey and his strange ways. The mother said: “ My dear 
child, I can no longer hide my feelings from you. I cannot get 
the thought out of my mind that the green monkey is no other 
than our beloved Prince Alphege, transformed in this strange 
fashion. I know the idea sounds wild, but I cannot get it out 
of my heart, and it leaves me no peace.” 

As she spoke she glanced up, and there sat the little monkey, 
whose tears and gestures seemed to confirm her words. 

The following night the elder lady dreamed that she saw 
the good queen, who said: “ Do not weep any longer, but follow 
my directions. Go into your garden and lift up the little marble 
slab at the foot of the great myrtle-tree. You will find beneath 
it a crystal vase filled with a bright green liquid. Take it with 
you and place the thing which is at present most in your 
thoughts into a bath filled with roses and rub it well with the 
green liquid.” 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

At these words the sleeper awoke, and lost no time in rising 
and hurrying to the garden, where she found all as the good 
queen had described. Then she hastened to rouse her daughter 
and together they prepared the bath, for they would not let 
their women know what they were about. Zayda gathered 
quantities of roses, and when all was ready they put the monkey 
into a large jasper bath, where the mother rubbed him all over 
with the green liquid. 

Their suspense was not long, for suddenly the monkey skin 
dropped off, and there stood Prince Alphege, the handsomest 
and most charming of men. The joy of such a meeting was 
beyond words. After a time the ladies begged the prince to 
relate his adventures, and he told them of all his sufferings in 
the desert when he was first transformed. His only comfort 
had been in visits from the good queen, who had at length put 
him in the way of meeting his brother. 

Several days were spent in these interesting conversations, 
but at length Zayda’s mother began to think of the best means 
for placing the prince on the throne, which was his by right. 

The queen on her side was feeling very anxious. She had 
felt sure from the first that her son’s pet monkey was no other 
than Prince Alphege, and she longed to put an end to him. 
Her suspicions were confirmed by the fairy of the mountain, 
and she hastened in tears to the king, her son. 

“ I am informed,” she cried, “ that some ill-disposed people 
have raised up an impostor in the hopes of dethroning you. 
You must at once have him put to death! ” 

The king, who was very brave, assured the queen that he 
would soon punish the conspirators. He made careful in¬ 
quiries into the matter, and thought it hardly probable that a 
quiet widow and a young girl would think of attempting any¬ 
thing of the nature of a revolution. 

He determined to go and see them and to find out the truth 
for himself; so one night, without saying anything to the queen 
or his ministers, he set out for the palace where the two ladies 
lived, attended only by a small band of followers. 

The two ladies were at the moment deep in conversation 

[23] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

with Prince Alphege, and hearing a knocking so late at night 
begged him to keep out of sight for a time. What was their 
surprise when the door was opened to see the king and his 
suite! 

“ I know,” said the king, “ that you are plotting against my 
crown and person, and I have come to have an explanation with 
you.” 

As she was about to answer, Prince Alphege, who had heard 
all, came forward and said: “ It is from me you must ask an 
explanation, brother,” and he spoke with such grace and dig¬ 
nity that every one gazed at him with mute surprise. 

At length the king, recovering from his astonishment at 
recognizing the brother who had been lost some years before, 
exclaimed: “ Yes, you are indeed my brother, and now that I 
have found you, take the throne to which I have no longer a 
right.” So saying, he respectfully kissed the prince’s hand. 

Alphege threw himself into his arms, and the brothers has¬ 
tened to the royal palace, where in the presence of the entire 
court he received the crown from his brother’s hand. To clear 
away any possible doubt, he showed the ruby which the good 
queen had given him in his childhood. As they were gazing 
at the jewel it suddenly split with a loud noise, and at the 
same moment the wicked queen expired. 

King Alphege lost no time in marrying his dear and lovely 
Zayda, and his joy was complete when the good queen appeared 
at his wedding. She assured him that the fairy of the mountain 
had henceforth lost all power over him, and after spending 
some time with the young couple and bestowing the most costly 
presents on them, she retired to her own country. 

King Alphege insisted on his brother sharing his throne, and 
they all lived to a good old age, universally beloved and 
admired. 


[24] 


The Benevolent Frog 


HERE was once a king who for many years had been 
m engaged in a war with his neighbors; a great number 
of battles had been fought, and at last the enemy laid 
siege to his capital. The king, fearing for the safety of the 
queen, begged her to retire to a fortified castle, which he him¬ 
self had never visited but once. The queen endeavored, with 
many prayers and tears, to persuade him to allow her to remain 
beside him and to share his fate, and it was with loud cries 
of grief that she was put into her chariot by the king to be 
driven away. He ordered his guards, however, to accompany 
her, and promised to steal away when possible to visit her. He 
tried to comfort her with this hope, although he knew that there 
was little chance of fulfilling it, for the castle stood a long dis¬ 
tance off, surrounded by a thick forest, and only those who 
were well acquainted with the roads could possibly find their 
way to it. 

The queen parted from her husband, broken-hearted at leav¬ 
ing him exposed to the dangers of war; she traveled by easy 
stages, in case the fatigue of so long a journey should make her 
ill; at last she reached the castle, feeling low-spirited and dis¬ 
tressed. When sufficiently rested, she walked about the sur¬ 
rounding country, but found nothing to interest her or divert 
her thoughts. She saw only far-spreading desert tracts on 
either side, which gave her more pain than pleasure to look 
upon; sadly she gazed around her, exclaiming at intervals: 
“ What a contrast between this place and that in which I have 
lived all my life! If I stay here long I shall die! With whom 
can I talk in these solitudes? With whom can I share my 
troubles ? What have I done to the king that he should banish 

[25] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

me ? He wishes me, it seems, to feel the full bitterness of our 
separation, by exiling me to this miserable castle.” 

Thus she lamented; and although the king wrote daily to her, 
and sent her good news of the progress of the siege, she grew 
more and more unhappy, and at last determined that she would 
return to him. Knowing, however, that the officers who were 
in attendance upon her had received orders not to take her 
back, unless the king sent a special messenger, she kept her 
design secret, but ordered a small chariot to be built for her, in 
which there was only room for one, saying that she should like 
sometimes to accompany the hunt. She drove herself, and fol¬ 
lowed so closely on the hounds, that the huntsmen were left 
behind; by this means she had sole command of her chariot, 
and could get away whenever she liked. Her only difficulty 
was her ignorance of the roads that traversed the forest; but 
she trusted to the kindness of Providence to bring her safely 
through it. She gave word that there was to be a great hunt, 
and that she wished everybody to be there; she herself would 
go in her chariot, and each was to follow a different route, that 
there might be no possibility of escape for the wild beasts. 
Everything was done according to her orders. The young 
queen, feeling sure that she should soon see her husband again, 
dressed herself as becomingly as possible; her hat was covered 
with feathers of different colors, the front of her dress lavishly 
trimmed with precious stones, and her beauty, which was of 
no ordinary kind, made her seem, when so adorned, a second 
Diana. 

While everybody was occupied with the pleasures of the 
hunt, she gave rein to her horses, encouraged them with voice 
and whip, and soon their quickened pace became a gallop; then, 
taking the bit between their teeth, they flew along at such a 
speed that the chariot seemed borne by the winds, and the eye 
could scarcely follow it. Too late the poor queen repented of 
her rashness. “ What could I have been thinking of? ” she said. 
“ How could I have imagined that I should be able to control 
such wild and fiery horses ? Alas! what will become of me ? 
What would the king do if he knew the great danger I am in, 

[26] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

he who loves me so dearly, and who only sent me away that 
I might be in greater safety ? This is my gratitude for his ten¬ 
der care! ” The air resounded with her piteous lamentations; 
she invoked Heaven, she called the fairies to her assistance, but 
it seemed that all the powers had abandoned her. The chariot 
was overthrown; she had not sufficient strength to jump 
quickly enough to the ground, and her foot was caught between 
the wheel and the axletree; it was only by a miracle she was 
saved. 

She remained stretched on the ground at the foot of a tree; 
her heart scarcely beat, she could not speak, and her face was 
covered with blood. She lay thus for a long time; when at last 
she opened her eyes, she saw, standing near her, a woman of 
gigantic stature, clothed only in a lion’s skin, with bare arms 
and legs, her hair tied up with the dried skin of a snake, the 
head of which dangled over her shoulders; in her hand was a 
club made of stone, which served her as a walking-stick, and a 
quiver full of arrows was fastened to her side. When the queen 
caught sight of this extraordinary figure she felt sure that she 
was dead, for she did not think it was possible that she could 
be alive after such a terrible accident, and she said in a low 
voice to herself: “ I am not surprised that it is so difficult to 
resolve to die, since what is to be seen in the other world is so 
frightful.” The giantess, who overheard her words, could not 
help laughing at the queen’s idea that she was dead. “ Take 
courage,” she said to her, “ for know that you are still among 
the living; but your fate is none the less sad. I am the fairy 
lioness, whose dwelling is near here; you must come and live 
with me.” The queen looked sorrowfully at her, and said: “ If 
you will be good enough, Madam Lioness, to take me back to 
my castle, and tell the king what ransom you demand, he loves 
me so dearly that he will not refuse you even the half of his 
kingdom.” “ No,” replied the giantess, “ I am rich enough, 
but for some time past my lonely life has seemed dull to me; 
you are intelligent, and will be able perhaps to amuse me.” As 
she finished speaking, she took the form of a lioness, and 
placing the queen on her back, she carried her to the depths of 

[27] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

her cave, and there rubbed her with a spirit which quickly 
healed the queen’s wounds. But what surprise and misery for 
the queen to find herself in this dreadful abode! It could only 
be reached by ten thousand steps, which led down to the center 
of the earth; there was no light but that shed by a number of 
tall lamps—which were reflected in a lake of quicksilver. This 
lake was covered with monsters, each hideous enough to have 
frightened a less timid queen; there were owls, screech-owls, 
ravens, and other birds of ill omen, filling the air with dis¬ 
cordant sounds; in the distance could be seen rising a moun¬ 
tain whence flowed the sluggish waters of a stream composed 
of all the tears shed by unhappy lovers, from the reservoirs of 
their sad loves. The trees were bare of leaves and fruit, the 
ground covered with marigolds, briers, and nettles. 

The food corresponded to the climate of this miserable 
country; for a few dried roots, some horse-chestnuts, and 
thorn-apples were all that was provided by the fairy lioness 
to appease the hunger of those who fell into her hands. 

As soon as the queen was well enough to begin work, the 
fairy told her she could build herself a hut, as she was going 
to remain with her for the rest of her life. On hearing this, 
the queen could no longer restrain her tears. “ Alas, what have' 
I done to you,” she cried, “ that you should keep me here? If 
my death, which I feel is near, would give you pleasure, I pray 
you, kill me, it is all the kindness I dare hope from you; but do 
not condemn me to pass a long and melancholy life apart from 
my husband.” 

The lioness only scoffed at her, and told her that the best 
thing she could do was to dry her tears and try to please her; 
that if she acted otherwise, she would be the most miserable 
person in the world. 

“ What must I do then,” replied the queen, “ to soften your 
heart?” “ I am fond of fly pasties,” said the lioness. “ You 
must find means of procuring a sufficient number of flies to 
make me a large and sweet-tasting one.” “ But,” said the 
queen, “ I see no flies here, and even were there any, it is not 
light enough to catch them; and if I were to catch some, I have 

[28] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

never in my life made pastry, so that you are giving me orders 
which it is impossible for me to execute.” “ No matter,” said 
the pitiless lioness; “ that which I wish to have, I will have.” 

The queen made no reply; she thought to herself, in spite 
of the cruel fairy, that she had but one life to lose, and in the 
condition in which she then was, what was there to fear in 
death? Instead, therefore, of going in search of flies, she sat 
herself down under a yew-tree, and began to weep and com¬ 
plain : “ Ah, my dear husband, what grief will be yours when 
you go to the castle to fetch me and find I am not there; you 
will think that I am dead or faithless, and I would rather that 
you should mourn the loss of my life than that of my love; 
perhaps some one will find the remains of my chariot in the 
forest, and all the ornaments which I took with me to please 
you; and when you see these, you will no longer doubt that 
death has taken me; and how can I tell that you will not give 
to another the heart’s love which you have shared with me? 
But, at least, I shall not have the pain of knowing this, since 
I am not to return to the world.” She would have continued 
communing thus with herself for a long time, if she had not 
been interrupted by the dismal croaking of a bird above her 
head. She lifted her eyes, and by the feeble light saw a large 
raven with a frog in its bill, and about to swallow it. “ Al¬ 
though I see no help at hand for myself,” she said, “ I will not 
let this poor frog perish if I can save it; it suffers as much in 
its way as I do in mine, although our conditions are so differ¬ 
ent,” and picking up the first stick she could find, she made the 
raven drop its prey. The frog fell to the ground, where it lay 
for a time half stunned, but finally recovering its froggish 
senses, it began to speak, and said: “ Beautiful queen, you are 
the first benevolent person that I have seen since my curiosity 
first brought me here.” “ By what wonderful power are you 
enabled to speak, little frog ? ” responded the queen, “ and 
what kind of people do you see here? for as yet I have seen 
none.” “ All the monsters that cover the lake,” replied the little 
frog, “ were once in the world: some on thrones, some in high 
positions at court; there are even here some royal ladies who 

[29] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

caused much strife and bloodshed; it is they whom you see 
changed into leeches; their fate condemns them to be here for a 
time, but none of those who come return to the world better or 
wiser.” “ I can well understand,” said the queen, “ that many 
wicked people together do not help to make one another better; 
but you, my little frog friend, what are you doing here ? ” “ It 
was curiosity which led me here,” she replied. “ I am half a 
fairy, my powers are restricted with regard to certain things, 
but far-reaching in others; if the fairy lioness knew that I was 
in her dominions, she would kill me.” 

“ Whether fairy or half-fairy,” said the queen, “ I cannot un¬ 
derstand how you could have fallen into the raven’s clutches 
and been nearly eaten.” “ I can explain it in a few words,” re¬ 
plied the frog. “ When I have my little cap of roses on my 
head, I fear nothing, as in that resides most of my power; un¬ 
fortunately, I had left it in the marsh, when that ugly raven 
pounced upon me; if it had not been for you, madam, I should 
be no more; and as you have saved my life, you have only to 
command, and I will do all in my power to alleviate the sorrows 
of your own.” “ Alas ! dear frog,” said the queen, “ the wicked 
fairy who holds me captive wishes me to make her a fly-pasty; 
but there are no flies here; if there were any, I could not see 
in the dim light to catch them; I run a chance, therefore, of 
being killed by her blows.” 

“ Leave it to me,” said the frog. “ I will soon get you some.” 
Whereupon the frog rubbed herself over with sugar, and more 
than six thousand of her frog friends did likewise; then they 
repaired to a place where the fairy kept a large store of flies, 
for the purpose of tormenting some of her unhappy victims. 
As soon as they smelled the sugar, they flew to it, and stuck 
to the frogs, and these kind helpers returned at a gallop to the 
queen. There had never been such a fly-catching before, nor 
a better pasty, than that the queen made for the fairy. The 
latter was greatly surprised when the queen handed it to her, 
and could not imagine how she had been clever enough to catch 
the flies. 

The queen, finding herself exposed to the inclemencies of the 
[ 30 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

poisonous atmosphere, cut down some cypress branches, where¬ 
with to build herself a hut. The frog generously offered her 
services, and putting herself at the head of all those who had 
gone to collect the flies, they helped the queen to build as pretty 
a little tenement as the world could show. Scarcely, however, 
had she laid herself down to rest than the monsters of the lake, 
jealous of her repose, came round her hut, and nearly drove 
her distracted, by setting up a noise, more hideous than any 
ever heard before. 

She rose in fear and trembling and fled from the house: this 
was exactly what the monsters desired. A dragon, who had 
formerly been a tyrant of one of the finest states of the uni¬ 
verse, immediately took possession of it. 

The poor queen tried to complain of the ill-treatment, but 
no one would listen to her; the monsters laughed and hooted at 
her, and the fairy lioness told her that if she came again to 
deafen her with lamentations, she would give her a sound 
thrashing. She was forced, therefore, to hold her tongue, and 
to have recourse to the frog, who was the kindest body in the 
world. They wept together; for as soon as she put on her cap 
of roses, the frog was able to laugh or weep like any one else. 
“ I feel such an affection for you,” she said to the queen, “ that 
I will rebuild your house, even though I drive all the monsters 
of the lake to despair.” She immediately cut some wood, and 
the little rustic palace of the queen was so quickly reared, that 
she was able to sleep in it that night. The frog, who thought 
of everything that was necessary for the queen’s comfort, made 
her a bed of wild thyme. When the wicked fairy found out 
that the queen did not sleep on the ground, she sent for her. 
“ What gods or men are they who protect you ? ” she asked. 
“ This land, watered only by showers of burning sulphur, has 
never produced even a leaf of sage ; I am told, nevertheless, that 
sweet-smelling herbs spring up beneath your feet! ” 

“ I cannot explain it, madam,” said the queen, “ unless the 
cause is due to the child I hope one day to have, who will per¬ 
haps be less unhappy than I am.” 

“ What I now wish for,” said the fairy, “ is a bunch of the 

[31 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

rarest flowers; see if this coming happiness you speak oi will 
obtain these for you. If you fail to get them, blows will not 
fail to follow, for these I often give, and know well how to ad¬ 
minister.” The queen began to cry; such threats as these were 
anything but pleasant to her and she was in despair at the 
thought of the impossibility of finding flowers. 

She went back to her little house; her friend the frog came 
to her. “ How unhappy you are! ” she said to the queen. 
“ Alas! who would not be so, dear friend ? The fairy has 
ordered a bunch of the most beautiful flowers, and where am I 
to find them ? You see what sort of flowers grow here; my life, 
nevertheless, is at stake, if I do not procure them for her.” 
“ Dear queen,” said the frog in tender tones, “ we must try 
our best to get you out of this difficulty. There lives a bat in 
this neighborhood, the only one with whom I have made ac¬ 
quaintance; she is a good creature, and moves more quickly 
than I can; I will give her my cap of roses, and aided by this, 
she will be able to find you the flowers.” The queen made a 
low courtesy; for there was no possible way of embracing the 
frog. The latter went off without delay to speak to the bat; 
a few hours later she returned, bearing under her wings the 
most exquisite flowers. The queen hurried off with them to the 
fairy, who was more overcome by surprise than before, unable 
to understand in what miraculous way the queen received help. 

Meanwhile the queen was continually thinking by what 
means she could escape. She confided her longing to the frog, 
who said to her: “ Madam, allow me first to consult my little 
cap, and we will then arrange matters according to its advice.” 
She took her cap, placed it on some straw, and burned in 
front of it a few sprigs of juniper, some capers, and two green 
peas; she then croaked five times, and the ceremony being then 
completed, she put on her cap again, and began speaking like 
an oracle. “ Fate, the ruler of all things, forbids you to leave 
this place. You will have a little princess, more beautiful than 
Venus herself; do not trouble yourself about anything else, time 
alone can comfort you.” The queen’s head drooped, a few 
tears fell from her eyes, but she resolved to trust her friend. 

[32] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ At least/’ she said to her, “ do not leave me here alone; and 
befriend me when my little one is born.” The frog promised 
to remain with her, and comforted her as best she could. 

But it is now time to return to the king. While the enemy 
kept him shut up in his capital, he could not continually send 
messengers to the queen. At last, however, after several sor¬ 
ties, he obliged the besiegers to retire, and he rejoiced at his 
success, less on his own account than on that of the queen, 
whom he could now bring back in safety. He was in total ig¬ 
norance of the disaster which had befallen her, for none of his 
officers had dared to tell him of it. They had been into the 
forest and found the remains of the chariot, the runaway 
horses, and the driving apparel which she had put on when 
going to find her husband. As they were fully persuaded that 
she was dead, and had been eaten by wild beasts, their only care 
was to make the king believe that she had died suddenly. On 
receiving this mournful intelligence, he thought he should die 
himself of grief; he tore his hair, he wept many tears, and gave 
vent to his bereavement in every imaginable expression of sor¬ 
row, cries, sobs, and sighs. For some days he would see no 
one, nor allow himself to be seen; he then returned to his capi¬ 
tal, and entered on a long period of mourning, to which the sor¬ 
row of his heart testified more sincerely than even his somber 
garments of grief. All the surrounding kings sent their ambas¬ 
sadors charged with messages of condolence; and when the 
ceremonies, indispensable to these occasions, were over, he 
granted his subjects a period of peace, exempting them from 
military service, and helping them, in every possible way, to 
improve their commerce. 

The queen knew nothing of all this. Meanwhile a little 
princess had been born to her, as beautiful as the frog had pre¬ 
dicted, to whom they gave the name of Moufette. The queen 
had great difficulty in persuading the fairy to allow her to bring 
up the child, for so ferocious was she, that she would have liked 
to eat it. Moufette, a wonder of beauty, was now six months 
old and the queen, as she looked upon her with a tenderness 
mingled with pity, continually said: “ Ah! if your father could 

[ 33 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

see you, my poor little one, how delighted he would be! how 
dear you would be to him! But even, already, perhaps, he has 
begun to forget me; he believes, no doubt, that we are lost to 
him in death; and perhaps another fills the place in his heart 
that once was mine.” 

These sorrowful reflections caused her many tears; the frog, 
who truly loved her, seeing her weep like this, said to her one 
day: “ If you would like me to do so, madam, I will go and find 
the king, your husband; the journey is long, and I travel but 
slowly; but, sooner or later, I shall hope to arrive.” This pro¬ 
posal could not have been more warmly received than it was; 
the queen clasped her hands, and made Moufette clasp hers too, 
in sign of the gratitude she felt toward Madam Frog, for 
offering to undertake the journey. She assured her that the 
king also would not be ungrateful; “ but,” she continued, “ of 
what use will it be to him to know that I am in this melancholy 
abode; it will be impossible for him to deliver me from it ? ” 
“ Madam,” replied the frog, “ we must leave that to Heaven; 
we can only do that which depends on ourselves.” 

They said good-by to each other; the queen sent a message 
to the king, written with her blood on a piece of rag; for she 
possessed neither ink nor paper. She begged him to give at¬ 
tention to everything the good frog told him, and to believe all 
she said, as she was bringing him news of his consort. 

The frog was a year and four days climbing up the ten 
thousand steps which lead from the dark country, in which she 
had left the queen, up into the world; it took her another year 
to prepare her equipage, for she had too much pride to allow 
herself to appear at the court like a poor, common frog from 
the marshes. She had a little sedan-chair made, large enough 
to hold two eggs comfortably; it was covered on the outside 
with tortoise-shell, and lined with lizard-skin; then she chose 
fifty maids of honor; these were the little green frogs which 
hop about the meadows; each was mounted on a snail, fur¬ 
nished with a light saddle, and rode in style with the leg thrown 
over the saddle-bow; several water-rats, dressed as pages, ran 
before the snails, as her bodyguard; in short, nothing so pretty 

[34] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

had ever been seen before, and to crown it all, her cap of crim¬ 
son roses, always fresh and in full bloom, suited her in the most 
admirable manner. She was a bit of a coquette in her way, so 
she felt obliged to add a little rouge and a few patches; some 
said that she was painted as were many ladies of that country, 
but inquiries into the matter proved that this report had only 
been spread by her enemies. 

The journey lasted seven years, during which time the poor 
queen went through unspeakable pains and suffering, and if it 
had not been for the beautiful Moufette, who was a great com¬ 
fort to her, she would have died a hundred times over. This 
wonderful little creature could not open her mouth or say a 
word, without filling her mother with delight; indeed, every¬ 
body, with the exception of the fairy lioness, was enchanted 
with her. 

At last, when the queen had lived six years in this horrible 
place, the fairy said that, provided everything she killed was 
given to her, she might go hunting with her. The joy of the 
queen at once more seeing the sun may be imagined. So un¬ 
accustomed had she grown to its light that at first she thought 
it would blind her. As for Moufette, she was so quick and 
intelligent that even at five or six years of age she never failed 
to hit her mark, and so in this way the mother and daughter 
succeeded in somewhat lessening the ferocity of the fairy. 

The frog meanwhile traveled over mountains and valleys, 
never stopping day or night, and at last drew near the capital, 
where the king was in residence. She was surprised to see 
dancing and festivity in every direction; there was laughter 
and singing, and the nearer she got to the town, the more 
joyous and jubilant the people seemed. Her rural equipage 
caused great astonishment; every one went after it, and the 
crowd soon became so large that she had great difficulty in 
making her way to the palace. Here everything was as mag¬ 
nificent as possible, for the king, who had been a widower for 
nine years, had at last yielded to the prayers of his subjects, 
and was on the eve of marriage with a princess, less beautiful, 
it is true, than his wife, but not the less agreeable for that. 

[ 35 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The kind frog, having descended from her sedan-chair, en¬ 
tered the royal presence, followed by her attendants. She had 
no need to ask for audience, for the king, his affianced bride, 
and all the princes were much too curious to know the 
reason of her coming to think of interrupting her. “ Sire,” 
said she, “ I hardly know if the news I bring you will give you 
joy or sorrow; the marriage which you are about to celebrate 
convinces me of your infidelity to the queen.” 

“ Her memory is dear to me as ever,” said the king, unable 
to prevent the falling of a tear or two; “ but you must know, 
kind frog, that kings are not always able to do what they wish; 
for the last nine years my subjects have been urging me to 
marry; I owe them an heir to the throne, and I have therefore 
chosen this young princess, who appears to me all that is 
charming.” “ I advise you not to marry her,” said the frog, 
“ for the queen is not dead; I bring you a letter from her, writ¬ 
ten with her own blood. Know also that a little daughter, 
Moufette, has been born to you, more beautiful than the 
heavens themselves.” The king took the rag, on which the 
queen had scrawled a few words; he kissed it, he bathed it in 
his tears, he showed it to the whole assembly, saying that he 
recognized his wife’s handwriting; he asked the frog a thou¬ 
sand questions, which she answered with vivacity and intel¬ 
ligence. 

The betrothed princess and the ambassadors who had come 
to be present at the marriage, began to pull long faces. One of 
the most important of the guests turned to the king, and said: 
“ Sire, can you think of breaking so solemn an engagement on 
the word of a toad like that? This scum of the marshes has 
the insolence to come and tell lies before the whole court, for 
the pleasure of being heard! ” “ Know, your Excellency,” re¬ 
plied the frog, “ that I am no scum of the marshes, and since 
I am forced to exhibit my powers: Come forth, fairies all! ” 
And thereupon all the frogs, rats, snails, lizards, with the frog 
at their head, suddenly appeared; not, however, in the usual 
form of these reptiles, but with tall, majestic figures, pleasing 
countenances, and eyes more brilliant than stars; each wore a 

[ 36 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

jeweled crown on his head, and over his shoulders a regal man¬ 
tle of velvet, lined with ermine, with a long train which was 
borne by dwarfs. At the same time was heard the sound of 
trumpets, kettle-drums, hautboys, and drums, filling the air 
with melodious and warlike music, and all the fairies began to 
dance a ballet, their every step so light that the slightest spring 
lifted them to the vaulted ceiling of the room. The king and 
his future queen, surprised as they were at this, were no less 
astonished when they saw all these fairy ballet dancers sud¬ 
denly change into flowers, jasmine, jonquils, violets, pinks, and 
tuberoses, which still continued to dance as if they had legs and 
feet. It was like a living flower-bed, of which every movement 
delighted both the eye and the sense of smell. Another mo¬ 
ment and the flowers had disappeared; in their place several 
fountains threw their waters into the air letting them fall into 
an artificial lake at the foot of the castle walls; this was covered 
with little painted and gilded boats, so pretty and dainty that 
the princess invited the ambassadors to go for a trip on the 
water. They were quite pleased to do so, thinking it was all a 
merry pastime, which would end happily in the marriage fes¬ 
tivities. But they had no sooner embarked than the boats, 
water, and fountains disappeared, and the frogs were frogs 
again. The king asked what had become of the princess; the 
frog replied: “ Sire, no queen is yours but your wife; were I 
less attached to her than I am, I should not interfere; but she is 
so deserving, and your daughter Moufette is so charming, that 
you ought not to delay a moment in going to their deliverance.” 
“ I assure you, Madam Frog,” said the king, “ that if I did not 
believe my wife to be dead, there is nothing in the world I 
would not do to see her again.” “ After the wonders I have 
shown you,” she replied, “ it seems to me that you ought to be 
more convinced of the truth of what I have told you. Leave 
your kingdom in charge of trustworthy men, and start without 
delay. Here is a ring which will furnish you with the means 
of seeing the queen, and of speaking with the fairy lioness, 
although she is the most terrible creature in the world.” 

The king departed, refusing to allow any one to accompany 

[37] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

him, after making handsome presents to the frog. “ Do not be 
discouraged,” she said to him; “ you will meet with terrible 
difficulties, but I hope that you will succeed according to your 
wishes.” Somewhat comforted by her words, the king started 
in search of his dear wife with no other guide than his ring. 

As Moufette grew older her beauty became more perfect, 
and all the monsters of the quicksilver lake fell in love with her; 
and the dragons, with their hideous and terrifying forms, came 
and lay at her feet. Although Moufette had seen them ever 
since she was born, her beautiful eyes could not accustom them¬ 
selves to the sight of these creatures, and she would run away 
and hide in her mother’s arms. “ Shall we remain here long? ” 
she asked her; “ is there to be no end to our misery ? ” The 
queen spoke hopefully in order to cheer the child, but in her 
heart she had no hope; the absence of the frog, her unbroken 
silence, the long time that had elapsed since she had news of the 
king, all these things filled her with sorrow and despair. 

The fairy lioness had gradually made it a practice to take 
them with her hunting. She was fond of good things, and 
liked the game they killed for her, and although all they re¬ 
ceived in return was the gift of the head or the feet, it was 
something to be allowed to see again the light of day. The 
fairy took the form of a lioness, the queen and her daughter 
seated themselves on her back, and thus they went hunting 
through the forests. 

The king happened to be resting in a forest one day, whither 
his ring had guided him, and saw them pass like an arrow shot 
from the bow; he was unseen of them, and when he tried to 
follow them, they vanished completely from his sight. Not¬ 
withstanding the constant trouble she had been in, the queen 
still preserved her former beauty; she appeared to her husband 
more charming than ever. He longed for her to return to him, 
and feeling sure that the young princess who was with her was 
his dear little Moufette, he determined to face a thousand 
deaths rather than abandon his design of rescuing her. 

By the help of his ring, he found his way into the obscure 
region where the queen had been so many years; he was not a 

[ 38 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

little surprised when he found himself descending to the center 
of the earth, but every fresh thing he saw astonished him more 
and more. The fairy lioness, who knew everything, was aware 
of the day and the hour when he would arrive; she would have 
given a great deal if the powers in league with her had ordained 
otherwise; but she determined at least to oppose his strength 
with the full might of her own. 

She built a palace of crystal, which floated in the center of the 
lake of quicksilver, and rose and fell with its waves. In it she 
imprisoned the queen and her daughter, and then harangued all 
the monsters who were in love with Moufette. “ You will lose 
this beautiful princess,” she said to them, “ if you do not help 
me to protect her from a knight who has come to carry her 
away.” The monsters promised to leave nothing in their power 
undone; they surrounded the palace of crystal; the lightest in 
weight took their stations on the roofs and walls; the others 
kept guard at the doors, and the remainder in the lake. 

The king, advised by his faithful ring, went first to the fairy’s 
cave; she was awaiting him in her form of lioness. As soon 
as he appeared she threw herself upon him; but he handled his 
sword with a valor for which she was not prepared, and as she 
was putting out one of her paws to fell him to the earth, he 
cut it off at the joint just where the elbow comes. She uttered 
a loud cry and fell over; he went up to her, put his foot on her 
throat and swore that he would kill her, and in spite of her 
ungovernable fury and invulnerability she felt a little afraid. 
“ What do you wish to do with me ? ” she asked. “ What do 
you want of me ? ” “I wish to punish you,” he replied proudly, 
“ for having carried away my wife, and you shall give her up 
to me or I will strangle you on the spot.” “ Look toward the 
lake,” she said, “ and see if I have the power to do so.” The 
king turned in the direction toward which she pointed, and saw 
the queen and her daughter in the palace of crystal, which was 
floating like a vessel, without oars or rudder, on the lake of 
quicksilver. He was ready to die with mingled joy and sorrow; 
he called to them with all his might, and they heard him, but 
how was he to reach them ? While thinking over the means by 

[39] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

which he might accomplish this, the fairy lioness disappeared. 
He ran round and round the lake, but whenever the palace 
came close enough to him, on one side or the other, for him to 
spring upon it, it suddenly floated away again with terrible 
swiftness, and so his hopes were continually disappointed. The 
queen, fearing he would at length grow weary, called to him 
not to lose courage, that the fairy lioness wanted to tire him 
out, but that true love knew how to face all difficulties. She 
and Moufette then stretched out their hands toward him with 
imploring gestures. Seeing this, the king was filled with re¬ 
newed courage, and raising his voice, he said that he would 
rather pass the remainder of his life in this melancholy region 
than go away without them. He needed great patience, for no 
king on earth ever spent such a wretched time before. He had 
only the ground, covered with briers and thorns, for his bed; 
his food consisted of wild fruits more bitter than gall, and he 
was incessantly engaged in defending himself from the mon¬ 
sters of the lake. 

Three years passed in this manner, and the king could not 
flatter himself that he had gained the least advantage; he was 
almost in despair, and over and over again was tempted to 
throw himself in the lake, and he would certainly have done so 
if he could have thought that by such a deed he might alleviate 
the sufferings of the queen and the princess. He was running 
one day as usual, first to one side of the lake then to the other, 
when one of the most hideous of the dragons called him, and 
said to him: “ If you will swear to me by your crown and 
scepter, by your royal mantle, by your wife and child, to give 
me, whenever I shall ask for it, a certain delicate morsel to eat, 
for which I have a taste, I will take you on my back, and I 
promise you that none of the monsters of this lake, who guard 
the palace, shall prevent us from carrying off the queen and 
Princess Moufette.” 

“ Ah! my beloved dragon! ” cried the king, “ I swear to you, 
and to all the family of dragons, that I will give you your fill 
to eat of what you like, and will forever remain your humble 
servant.” “ Do not make any promises,” replied the dragon, 

[40] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ if you have any thought of not fulfilling them; for, in that 
case misfortunes will fall upon you that you will not forget as 
long as you live. ,, The king renewed his protestations; he was 
dying of impatience to get possession of his dear queen. He 
mounted on the dragon’s back, as if it was the finest horse in 
the world, but the other monsters now advanced to bar his 
passage. They fought together; nothing was to be heard but 
the sharp hissing of the serpents, nothing to be seen but fire, 
and sulphur, and saltpeter falling in every direction. At last 
the king reached the palace, but here his efforts had to be re¬ 
newed, for the entrances were defended by bats, owls, and 
ravens; however, the dragon, with his claws, his teeth and tail, 
cut to pieces even the boldest of these. The queen, on her side, 
who was looking on at this fierce encounter, broke away pieces 
of the wall, and armed herself with these to help her dear 
husband. They were at last victorious; they ran into one 
another’s arms, and the work of disenchantment was com¬ 
pleted by a thunderbolt, which fell into the lake and dried 
it up. 

The friendly dragon had disappeared with all the other mon¬ 
sters, and the king, by what means he could not guess, found 
himself again in his own capital, seated with his queen and 
Moufette, in a magnificent dining-hall, with a table spread with 
exquisite meats in front of them. Such joy and astonishment 
as theirs were unknown before. All their subjects ran in to 
see the queen and the young princess, who, to add to the wonder 
of it all, were so superbly dressed that the eye could hardly bear 
to look upon their dazzling jewels. 

It is easy to imagine the festivities that now went on at the 
castle; masquerades, running at the ring, and tournaments at¬ 
tracted the greatest princes in the world; but even more were 
they attracted by the bright eyes of Moufette. Among those 
who were the handsomest and most accomplished in feats of 
arms, Prince Moufy was everywhere the most conspicuous. 
He was universally admired and applauded, and Moufette, who 
hitherto had been only in the company of dragons and serpents, 
did not withhold her share of praise. No day passed but Prince 

[41] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Moufy showed her some fresh attention, in the hope of pleasing 
her, for he loved her deeply; and having offered himself as a 
suitor, he made known to the king and queen that his princi¬ 
pality was of a beauty and extent that deserved their special 
attention. 

The king replied that Moufette was at liberty to choose a 
husband, and that he only wished to please her and make her 
happy. The prince was delighted with this answer, and having 
already become aware that he was not indifferent to the prin¬ 
cess, offered her his hand. She assured him that if he was not 
her husband, no other man should be, and Moufy, overcome 
with joy, threw himself at her feet, and in affectionate terms 
begged her to remember the promise she had given him. The 
prince and princess were betrothed, and Prince Moufy then 
returned to his principality to make preparations for the mar¬ 
riage. Moufette shed many tears at his departure, for she was 
troubled with a presentiment of evil which she could not ex¬ 
plain. The queen, seeing that the prince was also overcome 
with sorrow, gave him the portrait of her daughter, and begged 
him rather to lessen the magnificence of the preparations than 
to delay his return. The prince, only too ready to obey such a 
command, promised to comply with what would be for his own 
happiness. 

The princess occupied herself during his absence with her 
music, for she had, in a few months, learned to play well. One 
day, when she was in the queen’s room, the king rushed in, 
his face bathed in tears, and taking his daughter in his arms: 
“ Alas ! my child,” he cried. “ Alas! wretched father, unhappy 
king! ” He could say no more, for his voice was stifled with 
sobs. The queen and princess, in great alarm, asked him what 
was the matter, and at last he was able to tell them that a giant 
of an enormous height, who gave himself out to be an ambas¬ 
sador from the dragon of the lake, had just arrived; that in 
accordance with the promise, made by the king in return for the 
help he had received in fighting the monsters, the dragon de¬ 
manded him to give up the princess, as he wished to make her 
into a pie for his dinner; the king added that he had bound 

[ 42 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

himself by solemn oaths to give him what he asked, and in those 
days no one ever broke his word. 

When the queen heard this dreadful news, she uttered pierc¬ 
ing cries, and clasped her child to her breast. “ My life shall 
be taken,” she said, “ before my daughter shall be delivered up 
to that monster; let him rather take our kingdom and all that 
we possess. Unnatural father! can you possibly consent to such 
a cruel thing? What! my child made into a pie! The thought 
of it is intolerable! Send me this terrible ambassador; maybe 
the sight of my anguish may touch his heart.” 

The king made no reply, but went in search of the giant and 
brought him to the queen, who threw herself at his feet. She 
and her daughter implored him to have mercy upon them, and 
to persuade the dragon to take everything they possessed, and 
to spare Moufette’s life; but the giant replied that the matter 
did not rest with him, and that the dragon was so obstinate and 
so fond of good things, that all the powers combined would 
not prevent his eating whatever he had taken into his head 
he would like for a meal. He further advised them, as a friend, 
to consent with a good grace, as otherwise greater evils might 
arise. At these words the queen fainted, and the princess, had 
she not been obliged to go to her mother’s assistance, would 
have done the same. 

No sooner was the sad news spread through the palace than 
the whole town learned it. Nothing was heard but weeping 
and wailing, for Moufette was greatly beloved. The king 
could not make up his mind to give her to the giant, and the 
giant, who had already waited some days, began to grow im¬ 
patient, and to utter terrible threats. The king and queen, 
however, said to each other: “ What worse thing could happen 
to us? If the dragon of the lake were to come and devour us 
all we could not be more distressed; if Moufette is put into a 
pie, we are lost! ” 

The giant now told them that he had received a message from 
his master, and that if the princess would agree to marry a 
nephew of his, the dragon would let her live; that the nephew 
was young and handsome; that, moreover, he was a prince, and 

[ 43 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

that she would be able to live with him very happily. This pro¬ 
posal somewhat lessened their grief; the queen spoke to the 
princess, but found her still more averse to this marriage than 
to the thought of death. “ I cannot save my life by being un¬ 
faithful,” said Moufette. “ You promised me to Prince Moufy, 
and I will marry no one else; let me die; my death will insure 
the peace of your lives.” The king then came and endeavored 
with all the tenderest of expressions to persuade her; but 
nothing moved her, and finally it was decided that she should 
be conducted to the summit of a mountain, and there await 
the dragon. 

Everything was prepared for this great sacrifice; nothing so 
mournful had before been seen; nothing to be met anywhere but 
black garments, and pale and horrified faces. Four hundred 
maidens of the highest rank, dressed in long white robes, and 
crowned with cypress, accompanied the princess, who was car¬ 
ried in an open litter of black velvet, that all might look on this 
masterpiece of beauty. Her hair, tied with crape, hung over 
her shoulders, and she wore a crown of jasmine, mingled with 
a few marigolds. The grief of the king and queen, who fol¬ 
lowed, overcome by their deep sorrow, appeared the only thing 
that moved her. The giant, armed from head to foot, marched 
beside the litter, and looked with hungry eye at the princess, as 
if anticipating his share of her when she came to be eaten; the 
air resounded with sighs and sobs, and the road was flooded 
with the tears of the onlookers. 

“ Ah! frog, frog,” cried the queen; “ you have indeed for-. 
saken me! Alas! why did you give me help in that unhappy 
region, and now withhold it from me? Would that I had then 
died, I should not now be lamenting the loss of all my hopes, 

I should not now have the anguish of seeing my dear Moufette 
on the point of being devoured! ” The procession meanwhile 
was slowly advancing, and at last reached the summit of the 
fatal mountain. Here the cries and lamentations were re¬ 
doubled; nothing more piteous had before been heard. The 
giant ordered every one to say farewell and to retire, and they 
all obeyed him, for in those days people were very simple 

[ 44 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and submissive, and never sought for a remedy in their mis¬ 
fortunes. 

The king and queen, and all the court, now ascended another 
mountain, whence they could see all that happened to the prin¬ 
cess : and they had not to wait long, before they saw a dragon, 
half a league long, coming through the air. His body was so 
heavy that, notwithstanding his six large wings, he was hardly 
able to fly; he was covered with immense blue scales, and poi¬ 
sonous tongues of flame; his tail was twisted into as many as 
fifty and a half coils; each of his claws was the size of a wind¬ 
mill, and three rows of teeth, as long as those of an elephant 
could be seen inside his wide-open jaw. As the dragon slowly 
made his way toward the mountain, the good, faithful frog, 
mounted on the back of a hawk, flew rapidly to Prince Moufy. 
She wore her cap of roses, and although he was locked into his 
private room, she entered without a key, and said: “ What are 
you doing here, unhappy lover? You sit dreaming of Mou- 
fette’s beauty, and at this very moment she is exposed to the 
most frightful danger. Here is a rose-leaf; by blowing upon it, 
I can change it into a superb horse, as you will see.” 

There immediately appeared a horse, green in color, and with 
twelve hoofs and three heads, of which one emitted fire, another 
bombshells, and the third cannon-balls. The frog then gave 
the prince a sword, eight yards long and lighter than a feather. 
She clothed him with a single diamond, which he put on like 
a coat, and which, although as hard as a rock, was so pliable 
that he could move in it at his ease. “ Go,” she said, “ run, fly 
to the rescue of her whom you love; the green horse I have 
given you will take you to her, and when you have delivered 
her, let her know the share I have had in the matter.” 

“ Generous fairy,” cried the prince. “ I cannot at this mo¬ 
ment show you all my gratitude; but from henceforth I am 
your faithful servitor.” 

He mounted the horse with the three heads, which instantly 
galloped off on its twelve hoofs,'and went at a greater rate 
than three of the best ordinary horses, so that in a very little 
time the prince reached the mountain, where he found his dear 

[ 45 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

princess all alone, and saw the dragon slowly drawing near. 
The green horse immediately began to send forth fire, bomb¬ 
shells, and cannon-balls, which not a little astonished the mon¬ 
ster ; he received twenty balls in his throat, and his scales were 
somewhat damaged, and the bombshells put out one of his eyes. 
He grew furious, and made as if to throw himself on his en¬ 
emy ; but the prince’s long sword was so finely tempered that 
he could use it as he liked, thrusting it in at times up to the 
hilt, and at others using it like a whip. The prince, on his 
side, would have suffered from the dragon’s claws had it not 
been for his diamond coat, which was impenetrable. 

Moufette had recognized her lover a long way off, for the 
diamond that covered him was transparent and bright, and she 
was seized with mortal terror at the danger he was in. The 
king and queen, however, were filled with renewed hope, for it 
was rather an unexpected thing to see a horse with three heads 
and twelve hoofs, sending forth fire and flame, and a prince in 
a diamond suit and armed with a formidable sword, arrive at 
such an opportune moment and fight with so much valor. The 
king put his hat on the top of his stick, and the queen tied her 
handkerchief to the end of another, as signals of encourage¬ 
ment to the prince; and all their court followed suit. As a fact, 
this was not necessary, for his own heart and the peril in which 
he saw Moufette were sufficient to animate his courage. And 
what efforts did he not make!—the ground was covered with 
stings, claws, horns, wings, and scales of the dragon; the earth 
was colored blue and green with the mingled blood of the 
dragon and the horse. Five times the prince fell to the ground, 
but each time he rose again and leisurely mounted his horse, 
and then there were cannonades, and rushing of flames, and ex¬ 
plosions, such as were never heard or seen before. The drag¬ 
on’s strength at last gave way, and he fell; the prince gave him 
a final blow, and nobody could believe their eyes when from 
this last great wound there stepped forth a handsome and 
charming prince, in a coat of-blue and gold velvet, embroidered 
with pearls, while on his head he wore a little Grecian helmet, 
shaded with white feathers. He rushed, his arms outspread, 

[46] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

toward Prince Moufy and embraced him. “ What do I not 
owe you, valiant liberator?” he cried. “You have delivered 
me from a worse prison than ever before inclosed a king; I 
have languished there since, sixteen years ago, the fairy lioness 
condemned me to it; and such was her power that she would 
have forced me, against my will, to devour that adorable prin¬ 
cess ; lead me to her feet, that I may explain to her my misfor¬ 
tune.” 

Prince Moufy, surprised and delighted at this extraordinary 
termination to his adventure, showered civilities on the newly 
found prince. They hastened to rejoin Moufette, who thanked 
Heaven a thousand times for her unhoped-for happiness. The 
king, the queen, and all the court were already with her; every¬ 
body spoke at once, nobody listened to anybody else, and they 
all shed nearly as many tears of joy as they had before of grief. 
Finally, that nothing might be wanting to complete their re¬ 
joicing, the good frog appeared, flying through the air on her 
hawk, which had little bells of gold on its feet. When the 
tinkle, tinkle of these was heard, every one looked up and saw 
the cap of roses shining like the sun, and the frog as beautiful 
as the dawn. 

The queen ran toward her, and took her by one of her little 
paws, and in the same moment the wise frog became a great 
queen, with a charming countenance. “ I come,” she cried, “ to 
crown the faithful Moufette, who preferred to risk her life 
rather than be untrue to Prince Moufy.” She thereupon took 
two myrtle wreaths, and placed them on the heads of the lov¬ 
ers, and giving three taps with her wand, all the dragon’s bones 
formed themselves into a triumphal arch, in commemoration of 
the great event which had just taken place. 

They all wended their way back to the town, singing wed¬ 
ding-songs, as gaily as they had before mournfully bewailed 
the sacrifice of the princess. The marriage took place the fol¬ 
lowing day, and the joy with which it was celebrated may be 
imagined. 


[47] 


The Witer of Life 


ONG before you or I were born there reigned, in a 



country a great way off, a king who had three sons. 


-*■—4 This king once fell very ill—so ill that nobody thought 
he could live. His sons were very much grieved at their 
father’s sickness; and as they were walking together very 
mournfully in the garden of the palace, a little old man met 
them and asked what was the matter. They told him that their 
father was very ill, and that they were afraid nothing could 
save him. “ I know what would/’ said the little old man; “ it 
is the Water of Life. If he could have a draught of it he would 
be well again; but it is very hard to get.” Then the eldest son 
said, “ I will soon find it ”; and he went to the sick king, and 
begged that he might go in search of the Water of Life, as it 
was the only thing that could save him. “ No,” said the king, 
“ I would rather die than place you in such great danger as you 
must meet with in your journey.” But he begged so hard that 
the king let him go; and the prince thought to himself, “ If I 
bring my father this water, he will make me sole heir to his 
kingdom.” 

Then he set out: and when he had gone on his way some 
time he came to a deep valley overhung with rocks and woods ; 
and as he looked around, he saw standing above him on one of 
the rocks a little ugly dwarf, with a sugar-loaf cap and a scarlet 
cloak; and the dwarf called to him and said, “ Prince, whither 
so fast ? ” “ What is that to thee, you ugly imp ? ” said the 
prince haughtily, and rode on. 

But the dwarf was enraged at his behavior, and laid a fairy 
spell of ill luck upon him; so that as he rode on the mountain 
pass became narrower and narrower, and at last the way was 


[48] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

so straitened that he could not go a step forward: and when 
he thought to have turned his horse round and go back the way 
he came, he heard a loud laugh ringing round him, and found 
that the path was closed behind him, so that he was shut in all 
around. He next tried to get off his horse and make his way 
on foot, but again the laugh rang in his ears, and he found him¬ 
self unable to move a step, and thus he was forced to abide 
spellbound. 

Meantime the old king was lingering on in daily hope of his 
son’s return, till at last the second son said, “ Father, I will go 
in search of the Water of Life.” For he thought to himself: 
“ My brother is surely dead, and the kingdom will fall to me if 
I find the water.” The king was at first very unwilling to let 
him go, but at last yielded to his wish. So he set out and fol¬ 
lowed the same road which his brother had done, and met with 
the same little elf, who stopped him at the same spot in the 
mountains, saying, as before, “ Prince, prince, whither so 
fast ? ” “ Mind your own affairs, busybody! ” said the prince 
scornfully, and rode on. 

But the dwarf put the same spell upon him as he had put on 
his elder brother; and he, too, was at last obliged to take up his 
abode in the heart of the mountains. Thus it is with proud silly 
people, who think themselves above every one else, and are too 
proud to ask or take advice. 

When the second prince had thus been gone a long time, the 
youngest son said he would go and search for the Water of 
Life, and trusted he should soon be able to make his father well 
again. So he set out, and the dwarf met him, too, at the same 
spot in the valley, among the mountains, and said, “ Prince, 
whither so fast ? ” And the prince said: “ I am going in search 
of the Water of Life; because my father is ill, and like to die: 
can you help me ? Pray be kind, and aid me if you can! ” “ Do 
you know where it is to be found? ” asked the dwarf. “ No,” 
said the prince, “ I do not. Pray tell me if you know.” “ Then 
as you have spoken to me kindly, and are wise enough to seek 
for advice, I will tell you how and where to go. The water you 
seek springs from a well in an enchanted castle; and, that you 

[ 49 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

may be able to reach it in safety, I will give you an iron wand 
and two little loaves of bread; strike the iron door of the castle 
three times with the wand, and it will open: two hungry lions 
will be lying down inside gaping for their prey, but if you 
throw them the bread they will let you pass; then hasten on to 
the well, and take some of the Water of Life before the clock 
strikes twelve; for if you tarry longer the door will shut upon 
you forever.” 

Then the prince thanked his little friend with the scarlet 
cloak for his friendly aid; and took the wand and the bread, and 
went traveling on and on, over sea and over land, till he came 
to his journey’s end, and found everything to be as the dwarf 
had told him. The door flew open at the third stroke of the 
wand, and when the lions were quieted he went on through the 
castle and came at length to a beautiful hall. Around it he saw 
several knights sitting in a trance; then he pulled off their rings 
and put them on his own fingers. In another room he saw on 
a table a sword and a loaf of bread, which he also took. Fur¬ 
ther on he came to a room where a beautiful young lady sat 
upon a couch; and she welcomed him joyfully, and said if he 
would set her free from the spell that bound her, the kingdom 
should be his, if he would come back in a year and marry her. 
Then she told him that the well that held the Water of Life 
was in the palace gardens; and bade him make haste and draw 
what he wanted before the clock struck twelve. 

He went on; and as he walked through beautiful gardens, he 
came to a delightful shady spot in which stood a couch; and 
he thought to himself, as he felt tired, that he would rest him¬ 
self for a while and gaze on the lovely scenes around him. So 
he laid himself down, and sleep fell upon him unawares, so that 
he did not wake up till the clock was striking a quarter to 
twelve. Then he sprang from the couch dreadfully frightened, 
ran to the well, filled a cup that was standing by him full of 
water, and hastened to get away in time. Just as he was going 
out of the iron door it struck twelve, and the door fell so 
quickly upon him that it snapped off a piece of his heel. 

When he found himself safe, he was overjoyed to think that 
[ 50 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

he had got the Water of Life; and as he was going on his way 
homeward, he passed by the little dwarf, who, when he saw the 
sword and the loaf, said: “ You have made a noble prize; with 
the sword you can at a blow slay whole armies, and the bread 
will never fail you.” Then the prince thought to himself, “ I 
cannot go home to my father without my brothers ”; so he 
said: “ My dear friend, cannot you tell me where my two broth¬ 
ers are, who set out in search of the Water of Life before me, 
and never came back ? ” “I have shut them up by a charm 
between two mountains,” said the dwarf, “ because they were 
proud and ill-behaved, and scorned to ask advice.” The prince 
begged so hard for his brothers, that the dwarf at last set them 
free, though unwillingly, saying: “ Beware of them, for they 
have bad hearts.” Their brother, however, was greatly re¬ 
joiced to see them, and told them all that had happened to him; 
how he had found the Water of Life, and had taken a cup full 
of it; and how he had set a beautiful princess free from a spell 
that bound her ;.and how she had engaged to wait a whole year, 
and then to marry him, and to give him the kingdom. 

Then they all three rode on together, and on their way home 
came to a country that was laid waste by war and a dreadful 
famine, so that it was feared all must die for want. But the 
prince gave the king of the land the bread, and all his kingdom 
ate of it. And he lent the king the wonderful sword, and he 
slew the enemy’s army with it; and thus the kingdom was 
once more in peace and plenty. In the same manner he be¬ 
friended two other countries through which they passed on 
their way. 

When they came to the sea, they got into a ship; and during 
their voyage the two eldest said to themselves, “ Our brother 
has got the water which we could not find, therefore our 
father will forsake us and give him the kingdom, which is our 
right ”; so they were full of envy and revenge, and agreed to¬ 
gether how they could ruin him. Then they waited till he was 
fast asleep, and poured the Water of Life out of the cup, and 
took it for themselves, giving him bitter sea-water instead. 

When they came to their journey’s end, the youngest son 
[SI] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

brought his cup to the sick king, that he might drink and be 
healed. Scarcely, however, had he tasted the bitter sea¬ 
water when he became worse even than he was before; and 
then both the elder sons came in, and blamed the youngest for 
what he had done; and said that he wanted to poison their 
father, but that they had found the Water of Life, and had 
brought it with them. He no sooner began to drink of what 
they brought him than he felt his sickness leave him, and was 
as strong and well as in his younger days. Then they went to 
their brother and laughed at him, and said: “ Well, brother, 
you found the Water of Life, did you? You have had the 
trouble and we shall have the reward. Pray, with all your clev¬ 
erness, why did not you manage to keep your eyes open? Next 
year one of us will take away your beautiful princess, if you 
do not take care. You had better say nothing about this to our 
father, for he does not believe a word you say; and if you tell 
tales, you shall lose your life into the bargain: but be quiet, and 
we will let you of¥. ,, 

The old king was still very angry with his youngest son, and 
thought that he really meant to have taken away his life; so he 
called his court together and asked what should be done, and 
all agreed that he ought to be put to death. The prince knew 
nothing of what was going on, till one day, when the king’s 
chief huntsman went a-hunting with him, and they were alone 
in the wood together, the huntsman looked so sorrowful that 
the prince said: “ My friend, what is the matter with you ? ” 
“ I cannot and dare not tell you,” said he. But the prince 
begged very hard, and said: “ Only tell me what it is, and do 
not think I shall be angry, for I will forgive you.” “ Alas! ” 
said the huntsman, “ the king has ordered me to shoot you.” 
The prince started at this, and said: “ Let me live, and I will 
change dresses with you; you shall take my royal coat to show 
to my father, and do you give me your shabby one.” “ With 
all my heart,” said the huntsman. “ I am sure I shall be glad 
to save you, for I could not have shot you.” Then he took the 
prince’s coat, and gave him the shabby one, and went away 
through the wood. 


[52] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Some time after, three grand embassies came to the old king’s 
court, with rich gifts of gold and precious stones for his young¬ 
est son; now all these were sent from the three kings to whom 
he had lent his sword and loaf of bread, in order to rid them 
of their enemy and feed their people. This touched the old 
king’s heart, and he thought his son might still be guiltless, and 
said to his court: “ O that my son were still alive! how it 
grieves me that I had him killed! ” “ He is still alive,” said 
the huntsman; “ and I am glad that I had pity on him and 
saved him: for when the time came, I could not shoot him, but 
let him go in peace, and brought home his royal coat.” At this 
the king was overwhelmed with joy, and made it known 
throughout all his kingdom that if his son would come back 
to his court he would forgive him. 

Meanwhile the princess was eagerly waiting till her deliverer 
should come back; and ordered a road made leading up to her 
palace all of shining gold; telling her courtiers that whoever 
came on horseback, and rode straight up to the gate, was her 
true lover; and that they must let him in: but whoever rode on 
one side of it, they might be sure was not the right one; and 
that they must send him away at once. 

The time soon came when the eldest brother thought that he 
would make haste to go to the princess, and say that he was 
the one who had set her free, and that he should have her for 
his wife, and the kingdom with her. As he came before the 
palace and saw the golden road, he stopped to look at it, and 
he thought to himself, “ It is a pity to ride upon this beautiful 
road ”; so he turned aside and rode on the right-hand side of it. 
But when he came to the gate, the guards, who had seen the 
road he took, said to him, he could not be what he said he was, 
and must go about his business. 

The second prince set out soon afterward on the same er¬ 
rand ; and when he came to the golden road, and his horse had 
set one foot upon it, he stopped to look at it, and thought it very 
beautiful, and said to himself, “ What a pity it is that anything 
should tread here! ” Then he, too, turned aside and rode on 
the left side of it. But when he came to the gate the guards 

[ 53 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

said he was not the true prince, and that he, too, must go away 
about his business; and away he went. 

Now when the full year was come round, the third brother 
left the forest in which he had lain hid for fear of his father’s 
anger, and set out in search of his betrothed bride. So he 
journeyed on, thinking of her all the way, and rode so quickly 
that he did not even see what the road was made of, but went 
with his horse straight over it; and as he came to the gate it 
flew open, and the princess welcomed him with joy, and said he 
was her deliverer, and should now be her husband and lord of 
the kingdom. When the first joy at their meeting was over, the 
princess told him she had heard of his father having forgiven 
him, and of his wish to have him home again: so before his 
wedding with the princess he went to visit his father, taking 
her with him. Then he told him everything; how his brothers 
had cheated and robbed him, and yet that he had borne all these 
wrongs for the love of his father. And the old king was very 
angry, and wanted to punish his wicked sons; but they made 
their escape, and got into a ship and sailed away over the wide 
sea, and where they went to nobody knew and nobody cared. 

And now the old king gathered together his court, and asked 
all his kingdom to come and celebrate the wedding of his son 
and the princess. And young and old, noble and squire, gentle 
and simple, came at once on the summons; and among the rest 
came the friendly dwarf, with the sugar-loaf hat and a new 
scarlet cloak. 

“ And the wedding was held, and the merry bells rung, 

And all the good people they danced and they sung, 

And feasted and frolick'd I can’t tell how long.” 


The Green Knight 

X^NCE on a time there was a king who was a widower, and 
f J he had an only daughter. But it is an old saying, that 
the bitterest grief cannot last forever, so, in course of 
time the king married a queen who had two daughters. Now 
this queen—well, she was no better than stepmothers are wont 
to be; snappish and spiteful she always was to her step¬ 
daughter. 

Well, a long time after, when they were grown up, these 
three girls, war broke out, and the king had to go forth to fight 
for his country and his kingdom. But before he went the three 
daughters had leave to say what the king should buy and bring 
home for each of them, if he won the day against the foe. 

So the stepdaughters were to speak first, as you may fancy, 
and say what they wished. 

Well, the first wished for a golden spinning-wheel, so small 
that it could stand on a sixpenny-piece; and the second, she 
begged for a golden winder, so small that it could stand on a 
sixpenny-piece; that was what they wanted to have, and till 
they had them there was no spinning or winding to be got out 
of them. But his own daughter, she would ask for no other 
thing than that he would greet the Green Knight in her name. 

So the king went out to war, and whithersoever he went he 
won, and however things turned out he brought the things he 
had promised his stepdaughters; but he had clean forgotten 
what his own daughter had begged him to do, till at last he 
made a feast because he had won the day. 

Then it was that he set eyes on a Green Knight, and all at 
once his daughter’s words came into his head, and he greeted 
him in her name. The Green Knight thanked him for the 

[55] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

greeting, and gave him a book which looked like a hymn-book 
with parchment clasps. That the king was to take home and 
give her; but he was not to unclasp it, or the princess either, till 
she was all alone. 

So, when the king had done fighting and feasting he went 
home again, and he had scarce got inside the door before his 
stepdaughters clung round him to get what he had promised to 
buy them. Yes, he said, he had brought them what they 
wished; but his own daughter, she held back and asked for 
nothing, and the king forgot all about her request, till one 
day when he was going out, and put on the coat he had 
worn at the feast; then just as he thrust his hand into his 
pocket for his handkerchief, he felt the book, and knew what 
it was. 

So he gave it to his daughter, and said he was to greet her 
with it from the Green Knight, and she mustn’t unclasp it till 
she was all alone. 

Well, that evening when she was by herself in her bedroom 
she unclasped the book, and as soon as she did so she heard a 
strain of music, so sweet she had never heard the like of it; 
and then, what do you think? Why, the Green Knight came 
to her and told her the book was such a book that whenever 
she unclasped it he must come to her, and it would be all the 
same wherever she might be, and when she clasped it again he 
would be off and away again. 

Well, she unclasped the book often and often in the evenings 
when she was alone and at rest, and the knight always came 
to her, and was almost always there. But her stepmother, who 
was always thrusting her nose into everything, found out 
there was some one with her in her room, and she was not 
long in telling it to the king. But he wouldn’t believe it. 
No, he said, they must watch first and see if it was so be¬ 
fore they trumped up such stories, and took his wife to task 
for them. 

So one evening they stood outside the door and listened, 
and it seemed as though they heard some one talking inside; 
but when they went in there was no one. 

[56] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Who was it you were talking with ? ” asked the stepmother, 
both sharp and cross. 

“ It was no one, indeed,” said the princess. 

“ Nay,” said the stepmother, “ I heard it as plain as day.” 

“ Oh,” said the princess, “ I only lay and read aloud out of 
a prayer-book.” 

“ Show it me,” said the queen. 

“ Well, then, it was only a prayer-book after all, and she 
must have leave to read that,” the king said. 

But the stepmother thought just the same as before, and so 
she bored a hole through the wall and stood prying about there. 
So one evening when she heard that the knight was in the 
room, she tore open the door and came flying into her step¬ 
daughter's room like a blast of wind; but the maid was not 
slow in clasping the book, and the knight was off and away in 
a trice; but however quick she had been, her stepmother 
caught a glimpse of him, so that she was sure some one had 
been there. 

It happened just then that the king was setting out on a long, 
long journey; and while he was away the queen had a deep pit 
dug down into the ground, and there she built up a dungeon, 
and in the stone and mortar she laid ratsbane and other strong 
poisons, so that not so much as a mouse could get through the 
wall. As for the master-mason, he was well paid, and gave his 
word to fly the land; but he didn’t, for he stayed where he was. 
Then the princess was thrown into that dungeon with her 
maid, and when they were inside the queen walled up the door, 
and left only a little hole open at the top to let down food to 
them. So there the poor maid sat and sorrowed, and the time 
seemed long, and longer than long; but at last she remembered 
she had her book with her, and took it out and unclasped it. 
First of all she heard the same sweet strain she had heard 
before, and then arose a grievous sound of wailing, and just 
then the Green Knight came. 

“ I am at death’s door,” he said; and then he told her that 
her stepmother had laid poison in the mortar, and he did not 
know if he should ever come out alive. So she clasped the 

[ 57 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

book up as fast as she could, but even then she heard the same 
wailing sound. 

But you must know the maid who was shut up with her had 
a sweetheart, and she sent word to him to go to the master- 
mason, and beg him to make the hole at the top big enough for 
them to creep out. If he would do that, the princess would 
pay him so well he could live in plenty all his days. He did 
so without being discovered, and they set out and traveled far, 
far away in strange lands, she and her maid, and wherever they 
came they asked after the Green Knight. 

So after a long, long time they came to a castle which was 
all hung with black; and just as they were passing by it a 
shower of rain fell, and so the princess stepped into the church 
porch to wait till the rain was over. As she stood there, a 
young man and an old man came by, who also wished to take 
shelter; but the princess drew away farther into a corner, so 
that they did not see her. 

“ Why is it,” said the young man, “ that the king’s castle is 
hung with black ? ” 

“ Don’t you know,” said the graybeard, “ the prince here is 
sick to death, he whom they call the Green Knight ? ” And so 
he went on telling him how it had all happened, and when the 
young man had listened to the story, he asked if there was 
any one who could make him well again. 

“ Nay, nay,” said the other; “ there is but one cure, and that 
is if the maiden who was shut up in the dungeon were to come 
and pluck healing plants in the fields, and boil them in sweet 
milk, and wash him with them thrice.” 

Then he went on reckoning up the plants that were needful 
before he could get well again. 

All this the princess heard, and she kept it in her head; and 
when the rain was over the two men went away, nor did she 
bide there long either. 

So when they got home to the house in which they lived, out 
they went at once to get all kinds of plants and grasses in the 
field and wood, she and the maid, and they plucked and gath¬ 
ered early and late till she had got all that she was to boil 

[ 58 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Then she bought her a doctor’s hat and a doctor’s gown, and 
went to the king’s castle, and offered to make the prince well 
again. 

“ No, no; it is no good,” said the king. So many had been 
there and tried, but he always got worse instead of better. But 
she would not yield, and gave her word he should be well, and 
that soon and happily. Well, then, she might have leave to try, 
and so she went into the Green Knight’s bedroom and washed 
him the first time. And when she came the next day he was 
so well he could sit up in bed ; the day after he was man enough 
to walk about the room, and the third he was as well and lively 
as a fish in the water. 

“ Now he may go out hunting,” said the doctor. 

Then the king was as overjoyed with his good health as a 
bird in broad day and would do all things for the doctor. But 
the doctor would have nothing and said she must go home. 

There she threw off her hat and gown, and dressed herself 
smart, and made a feast, and then she unclasped the book. 
Then arose the same joyful strains as of old, and in a trice the 
Green Knight was there, and he wondered much to know how 
she had come thither. 

So she told him all about it, and how it had happened; and 
when they had eaten and drunk he took her straight up to the 
castle, and told the king the whole story from beginning to end. 
Then there was such a bridal and such a feast; and when it 
was over they set off to the bride’s home, and there was great 
joy in her father’s heart. 




The Enchanted, Forest 


X^\NCE upon a time there lived a noble lord who spent all 
f 1 his fortune on feasting and good living, and at last 
there was not another penny in his purse, and he had 
nothing left him but an old, old castle on the edge of a great 
forest, his wife, and three beautiful daughters. 

So there he had to live in the old castle, and the countess 
and the three beautiful daughters had to scrub the floors and 
wash the dishes, for they were too poor to keep even a servant. 

Now, neither the countess nor her daughters had ever 
thought of taking cookery lessons, and so they were obliged 
to live on boiled potatoes, because that was the only dish they 
could manage. 

But the noble lord hated boiled potatoes, and when he found 
there was nothing else to eat, he became angry and disagree¬ 
able, and at times the tempers he flew into were very dreadful 
indeed. So the countess and her daughters wept bitterly, but 
they went on boiling potatoes, for what else could they do ? 

Now, one fine summer’s day the lord became so hungry that 
he took his bow and arrow and went into the forest to seek a 
stag which he might kill. 

“ If I have to cook it myself, it will be better than cold pota¬ 
toes,” he said to himself, for he knew that it was washing-day. 

Now, the forest was said to be enchanted. Many a man had 
gone into it, folk declared, but none had ever come out, for 
wicked trolls lurked there, ready to seize the wanderer, and 
wild beasts to tear him limb from limb. But the noble lord 
believed nothing of all this. He strode manfully over hill and 
dale, and crept through bush and thicket, but never a stag did 
he see. 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

At last he grew tired, and sat down to rest beneath a lofty 
oak-tree. And when he lifted his eyes, lo and behold! a sav¬ 
age bear stood before him. At this the poor lord began to 
tremble with fear, for he was not prepared for bear-hunting. 

He picked up his spear to defend himself as well as he could. 

The monster came nearer; then, with awful clearness, as 
plainly as you or I could say them, it growled out these words: 

“ Insolent robber, do you dare to steal honey from my tree ? 
You shall pay for this with your life! ” 

“ Oh,” begged the lord, “ I pray you, Sir Bear, do not de¬ 
vour me! I never touched your honey—indeed, I never liked 
it even as a child.” 

But the Bear went on growling. 

“ Wretched man, you shall not get off so easily. Give me 
your eldest daughter, Wulfhilda, to wife, else I will eat you 
without mercy! ” 

The lord was so frightened that he would have given the 
Bear all three daughters, and his wife into the bargain, had he 
asked for them. 

“ She shall be yours, Sir Bear,” he said, beginning to feel 
much better. “ But,” he added, cunningly, “ you must come 
and fetch her yourself, and bring a gift for me, her father; for 
that, you know, is the custom of the country.” 

“ Done! ” replied the Bear. “ Shake hands! ” and gave him 
a hairy paw. “ In seven days I shall come to fetch my bride, 
and you shall have a hundredweight of gold.” 

“ Done! ” said the lord, and they parted on excellent terms. 

Then the lord ran home as fast as his legs could carry him, 
and told his wife and daughters everything that had hap¬ 
pened. 

Now, when the beautiful Wulfhilda heard that she was to 
marry a monstrous bear, she fainted with terror, and her 
mother wrung her hands and tore her hair, and her two lovely 
sisters wept almost to break their hearts. 

But the lord went out, looked at the stout walls and the moat 
that surrounded the castle, locked and barred the iron gate, 
raised the drawbridge, and bolted every door and window. 

[ 61 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Then he placed Wulfhilda in the turret-chamber, turned the 
key upon her, and put it in his pocket. 

And so six days went by. But on the seventh a great stir 
arose in the forest. There was a cracking of whips, a blowing 
of horns, a stamping and a champing of horses, a rolling and 
a rattling of wheels, and all at once a splendid coach, sur¬ 
rounded by horsemen, came flying over the meadow straight 
up to the castle-gates. 

Then, without anybody touching them, all the bolts in the 
castle sprang back, the gates flew open, the drawbridge 
crashed down, and a young prince, handsome as a picture, 
stepped out of the coach. 

He was clad in velvet and silver embroidery, a gold chain 
hung round his neck, his hat was studded with pearls and dia¬ 
monds, while the brooch that held his ostrich-feather was 
worth a king’s ransom. 

Quick as a whirlwind he flew up the winding stairs that led 
to the turret-chamber, and next moment he was down again 
with his trembling bride in his arms. 

Now, the noise and clatter aroused the lord from his morn¬ 
ing sleep, and he opened the window and looked out into the 
courtyard. And there he saw the great coach and horses, the 
knights and pages, and his daughter Wulfhilda in the arms of 
a strange man, who bore her swiftly to the coach; and ere he 
could stir a finger, the cavalcade, horses and horsemen and 
all, had vanished. 

Then the lord lifted up his voice, and cried: 

“ Oh, Bride of Bruin, 

Goest thou to ruin? ” 

And the voice of Wulfhilda wailed from far away: 

“ I cannot tell! 

Farewell, farewell!” 

But the countess, Wulfhilda’s mother, believed that what 
her husband had seen and heard was nothing but an evil 

[62] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

dream. So she took her bunch of keys and went up to the 
turret to seek her daughter. But Wulfhilda was gone, and not 
a trace of her could be found. Only, upon the table, there lay 
a little silver key. 

Then the countess went sadly down the stairs, clothed her¬ 
self in black, and wept without ceasing for three days. And 
the lord and the two lovely daughters who were left wept 
also. 

On the fourth day the lord left his apartment to get a 
breath of fresh air; and there in the courtyard he saw a splen¬ 
did chest of ebony-wood, securely locked, and so heavy that 
■ he could not lift it. 

He guessed what was inside it, hastened to fetch the little 
silver key, and opened it. And there, sure enough, he found 
the hundredweight of gold which the Bear had promised him. 

At the sight of so much wealth he then and there forgot his 
grief, bought horses and dogs, and fine dresses for his wife 
and daughters, hired servants without number, and began his 
old life of feasting and pleasure. 

And at last all the gold in the ebony chest was spent and 
so the lord had to send away his servants, sell his horses and 
dogs and fine clothes, and go back to his old castle on the 
edge of the enchanted wood. And the countess and her two 
daughters went down into the kitchen again to boil the 
potatoes. 

Now, of all his possessions the lord had kept nothing but an 
old falcon, with which to go a-hunting. And one day he let 
the falcon fly; and the bird soared high in the air and would 
not return to his wrist, try as he might to lure it. 

And the lord followed the falcon’s flight as best he could 
over the wide plain; but the bird flew toward the dreadful for¬ 
est, and the lord, who did not dare to enter it now, gave up 
the falcon for lost. 

Then, all at once, a giant eagle rose up from the forest and 
flew at the falcon. And the falcon no sooner saw the eagle 
than, quick as an arrow, he returned to his master, to seek 
safety from his enemy. 


[63] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

But the eagle pounced down upon them, dug one great claw 
into the lord’s shoulder, and with the other he crushed the 
falcon to death. 

And the lord, in great fear, tried to free himself with his 
spear, and thrust and stabbed at the eagle. But the eagle 
caught the spear and broke it as though it were a reed. 

“ Insolent wretch! ” he screamed, “ do you dare to disturb 
the air that is my territory? You shall pay for this misdeed 
with your life! ” 

“ Spare me, Sir Eagle, I pray! ” begged the lord. “ I have 
done nothing, and my falcon has paid for his offense! ” 

“ You shall not get off so easily,” returned the Eagle. “ I 
have a fancy this day for a dish of human meat, and you look 
a fat and juicy morsel.” 

“ Spare me! ” cried the lord; “ ask of me what you please, 
but spare my life.” 

“ Good! ” said the Eagle. “ I take you at your word. You 
have two lovely daughters, and I want a wife. Give me your 
Adeline, and you shall go in peace.” 

“ And will you fetch her and bring a gift for me, according 
to the custom of the country ? ” asked the cunning lord. 

“ I will,” said the Eagle. “ In seven weeks I come to fetch 
my bride, and you shall have two hundredweight of gold.” 

And the lord went home, well pleased with his bargain; but 
he said nothing at all of what had happened, for he feared his 
wife’s reproaches and his daughters’ tears. 

Now, the lovely Adeline was a great spinner, and she could 
weave as no other maiden in the country. And it happened 
that she had just finished a splendid piece of linen, as fine as 
cobwebs, and this she spread out each day upon the meadow 
outside the castle-gates, in order that it might bleach in 
the sun. 

And when seven weeks had gone by, she rose as usual with 
the lark, tripped to the meadow, and spread out her linen, that 
it might be moistened by the morning dew. 

All at once she saw a splendid cavalcade of horsemen com¬ 
ing toward her. Now, it being so early in the day, she had her 

[64] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

simplest gown on. She therefore hid herself behind a wild 
rose-bush; but the handsomest knight of all that company gal¬ 
loped up to the rose-bush, and said, in a gentle voice: 

“ I’ve sought thee far and wide, 

Then prithee do not hide, 

But hasten to my side, 

O Eagle’s lovely bride.” 

When Adeline heard this, she trembled sorely. The knight 
was good to look upon, but the words “ Eagle’s bride ” froze 
the blood in her veins. She sank down into the grass, fainting 
with horror, and when she awoke again, she found herself in 
the stranger’s arms on a fiery steed that bore them swiftly into 
the magic forest. 

Meanwhile, the countess had prepared the breakfast. And 
when Adeline did not come in, she sent her husband to find 
her. But when he, too, did not return, the countess went out 
herself. 

Meanwhile, the lord, who guessed very well what had hap¬ 
pened, hastened to the meadow; and there, beside the rose¬ 
bush, lay two golden eggs, each as big as barrels. At sight of 
this treasure he could keep his secret no longer. He called the 
countess, and told her everything. 

But the countess was sorely grieved, and cried: 

“ Oh, shameless one, to sell your flesh and blood for gold! ” 

Thereupon she fell to sobbing and lamenting, and re¬ 
proached the lord most bitterly for having sacrificed his second 
daughter to a monstrous eagle. 

And the lord said nothing, for that was all he had to say. 
But he rolled the two golden eggs into his treasure-house, went 
into mourning for three days, and thought of how he could 
now begin the old merry life again. 

Then everything happened exactly as it had happened be¬ 
fore. There was feasting and dancing at the castle all day 
long, until the golden eggs had dwindled down to the size of 
peas. And the lord was forced to sell everything he had and 
to live on potatoes once more. 

[ 65 ] 






MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Now, one day he set off in pursuit of a flock of pheasants, 
and he followed them to the edge of a gloomy wood, though 
he dared not enter it. And there he beheld a large pond which 
he had never seen before; and this pond was full of speckled 
trout, that could be plainly seen in the clear water. 

The lord was overjoyed at this discovery. He hastened 
home, knitted himself a net, and went back to the pond next 
morning. 

Then he saw a little boat among the reeds, and a pair of 
oars in the boat. He jumped in gaily, rowed into the mid¬ 
dle of the pond, cast his net, caught more fish than he could 
carry, and started back to the shore in great joy at his good 
fortune. 

But all at once, when he was scarcely a stone’s-throw from 
the land, his boat stopped and stood motionless. And, do what 
he would, the lord could not make it budge an inch. 

Then the waters seemed to rush from under him, and the 
little boat rose high above the surface. The fisherman turned 
white with fear. He saw the shore receding on every side; 
the pond grew and grew until it became a huge sea. The 
waves rose up, and the waters roared and foamed about him. 
And now he saw, to his horror, that he and his boat were being 
carried on the back of a monstrous shark. 

Suddenly the monster dived, so that the skiff was once more 
afloat on the water. And next moment the awful fish had 
risen to the surface and opened its fearful jaws, and from out 
the black cavern there came rumbling these words: 

“ Insolent fisherman, why do you murder my subjects? You 
shall pay for this misdeed with your life! ” 

Now, the lord, having heard this sort of thing before, was 
beginning to get used to it. He soon recovered from his 
fright, and said: 

“ Do not be angry, I pray you, Sir Shark, or whatever you 
be, but grant me an extra course for my dinner. You are 
welcome to take pot-luck with me whenever you choose to 
do so.” 

“ Not so fast,” returned the fish. “ Know you not that 

[ 66 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

might is right? You stole my subjects, that you might devour 
them, and I shall devour you! ” And the monster opened his 
jaws still further, as though he were about to swallow the 
entire boat. 

“ Spare me! ” cried the lord. “ As you see, I am but a 
meager morsel for so great a creature as you.” 

The Shark considered for a moment. 

“Very well,” he returned, “you have a lovely daughter, 
Esmeralda by name. Give her to me to be my wife, and I will 
spare your life.” 

At this the lord was well pleased. 

“ She shall be yours,” he said. “ You are a noble son-in- 
law; no honest father could refuse you. But, tell me, what 
gift are you prepared to offer, according to the custom of the 
country ? ” 

“ I have neither gold nor silver,” replied the Shark. “ But 
at the bottom of this lake there lies a great treasure of pearls. 
They shall be yours.” 

“ bone! ” said the lord. 

“ In seven moons,” went on the monster, “ I come to fetch 
my bride.” 

Thereupon he flapped his tail and drove the boat and fisher¬ 
man swiftly to the shore. Then the lord went home with his 
trout, but said not a word of his adventure. And the lovely 
Esmeralda ate her fish, little dreaming how dearly she would 
have to pay for them. 

And when six moons had come and gone, the lord went on 
a journey. For he bethought himself of his bargain, and he 
was afraid of Esmeralda’s grief. 

And when the seventh moon was at the full, a splendid com¬ 
pany of knights came galloping up to the castle-gates. 

Now, the lovely Esmeralda was in the garden gathering 
raspberries, and when she heard the stir and clatter without, 
she peeped through a gap in the fence, and seeing the noble 
array of knights and squires, she would have fled. But the 
handsomest horseman of them all leaped the fence and caught 
her in his arms. 


[6 7 ) 




MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Then Esmeralda cried out in terror, but the knight whis¬ 
pered in her ear: 

“ The waters are deep, the waters are blue, 

They are waiting, my true love, for you, for you! ” 

And, swiftly as lightning, he lifted her into the saddle, and 
away they went over hill and dale, far, far out to the enchanted 
forest. 

And the countess, hearing her daughter’s cries, ran out in 
terror to know what had happened; but Esmeralda and all the 
splendid cavalcade had vanished. Only her basket of raspber¬ 
ries lay by the garden fence, and beside the basket, lo and be¬ 
hold ! there stood three sacks of brand-new linen that felt as 
though they were filled with peas. 

The countess was too grieved to examine them more closely. 
She ran hither and thither, calling her daughter in piteous ac¬ 
cents ; but getting no answer, and finding not a trace of Esmer¬ 
alda, she sat down on a kitchen chair and began to weep bit¬ 
terly. 

And the countess continued to weep until her lord’s return. 
Then the lord listened to her story, and as soon as she had 
finished he ran out into the courtyard and opened one of the 
linen bags that stood there. 

It was full of pearls as big as garden peas, perfect in shape, 
and of the finest quality. 

Then the lord rubbed his hands with satisfaction, turned to 
his wife, and said: 

“ Do not grieve for your daughter, for ’tis a fair bargain I 
have made; and every tear you have shed is paid for by a 
pearl.” 

Thereupon he told her his adventure with the monster fish. 

Then the countess tore her hair, and blamed him most bit¬ 
terly for what he had done. 

“ Inhuman father! ” she said. “ Is it for this miserable 
treasure that you have sold the only child that was left to us ? 
Three fair daughters had we—oh, Wulfhilda, Adeline, Esmer¬ 
alda, where are you now ? ” 

[ 68 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

And the lord held his tongue, for he was ashamed; and the 
countess went on weeping, and would not be comforted. 

But, after many moons, it came to pass that Heaven took 
pity on the countess and sent a little son to cheer her loneliness. 

And the lord, too, was well pleased at the birth of the child, 
and there was great rejoicing throughout the castle. And his 
parents called him Godfrey the Marvelous. 

The boy was beautiful as the day, and strong as a young 
lion; and the countess guarded him as the apple of her eye. 

Yet, though she loved him with a great love, she could not 
forget her three daughters, and often, when she fondled the 
boy, the tears would roll down her cheeks as she thought of 
her lost ones. 

Now, when the lad grew older, he saw that his mother wept, 
and asked her why she was so sad. But the countess would 
not tell him. 

At last the lad begged so earnestly to know the cause of her 
sorrow that his mother told him everything. And no sooner 
had he heard the story of his three lovely sisters than he re¬ 
solved to go to the enchanted forest and seek to rescue them. 

He said not a word of what he meant to do, to his father and 
mother; but, next morning, at daybreak, he rose stealthily, 
saddled his horse, put on his suit of mail, and, taking his sword 
in his hand, rode bravely into the dreadful wood. 

And when he had gone half a day's journey without meeting 
any adventure, he came to a spot where the trees grew so 
thickly that he could ride no further. 

Then he leaped from his horse, tethered it to a tree, and with 
his trusty sword hewed his way through the brushwood. 

At length he came to where a little stream wound its way 
through a green valley. He followed the windings of the 
stream, and presently he spied in the distance a towering rock, 
and a cave at the foot of the rock. And before the cave he saw 
what looked like a human figure. 

At this sight the bold lad quickened his steps, and, coming 
nearer to the cave, beheld a young and beautiful woman sitting 
on the grass. On her lap she held a tiny baby bear, which she 

[69] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

was kissing and fondling. A second little bear was gamboling 
about her, now standing on his hind legs, now turning somer¬ 
saults, at which the lady laughed right merrily. 

After what his mother had told him, Godfrey knew that this 
beautiful lady could be none other than his eldest sister, Wulf- 
hilda; and straightway he hastened toward her. 

But no sooner did she see the lad than she gave a great cry, 
threw the litttle bear into the grass, ran to meet the stranger, 
and spoke to him thus : 

“ Unhappy youth ! what evil star has led you hither ? In this 
cave dwells a fearful bear, who devours every human creature 
that comes this way. Fly, I entreat you, and save yourself! ” 

He bowed gallantly and replied: 

“ Fear nothing, fair lady. I know this forest and what ad¬ 
ventures it contains, and I am come to break the enchantment 
that holds you prisoner.” 

“ Oh, foolish boy! ” said the lady, “ who are you that dares 
to meddle with magic ? ” 

And he answered: 

“ I am Godfrey, called the Marvelous, son of that lord 
whom this forest robbed of three lovely daughters. Are you 
not Wulfhilda, his first-born?” 

On hearing these words, Wulfhilda, for she it was, grew 
still more terrified. She embraced the youth tenderly, but she 
trembled with fear for the great danger he was in. 

Then she led him into the cave, to find a place where she 
could hide him. The cave was very large and gloomy. In one 
corner lay a heap of moss, which served the bear and his cubs 
for a resting-place. But in the opposite corner there stood a 
splendid bed hung with red damask, embroidered in gold, and 
this was Wulfhilda’s. 

Godfrey the Marvelous crept underneath the bed, and his 
sister drew the damask draperies about him, warning him ear¬ 
nestly neither to cough nor sneeze, if he valued his life. 

Scarcely was the lad in hiding when a fearful growling was 
heard and the giant bear thundered into the cave, and straight¬ 
way began to sniff about the room with blood-stained snout. 

[70] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

He had fallen upon Godfrey’s gallant steed in the forest and 
had torn it limb from limb. 

And Wulfhilda’s knees shook with fright, for it was plain 
that the bear, her husband, scented a stranger in the cave. She 
therefore did not cease to caress him, stroking his back with 
her velvety hand, and scratching his ears with great tenderness. 
But the angry beast was not so easily to be pacified. 

“ I smell the smell of human flesh,” he growled, sniffing and 
snorting in a very disagreeable way. 

‘‘You are mistaken, my love,” returned his wife. “How 
should a human being come into these desert parts ? ” 

“ I smell human flesh,” repeated the Bear, getting so close 
to the bed that Godfrey began to feel very bad indeed. 

But in this desperate plight Wulfhilda, of a sudden, grew 
very brave. 

“You go too far, Sir Bear,” she said. “This bed is mine. 
You soil my silken hangings with your unclean paws. Do not 
touch them, or beware my anger! ” 

But the Bear took no heed, and went on sniffing and snort¬ 
ing about the bed. At length, just as he was about to poke his 
great snout under the draperies, Wulfhilda took heart, and 
thrust at him so violently with her little foot that he was 
cowed, crept humbly to his pile of moss, laid himself down, 
and began to lick his cubs. Presently he fell soundly asleep 
and snored as only a bear can snore. 

Thereupon Wulfhilda fetched wine and cake from her store, 
and bade her brother eat and drink. 

“ Be of good cheer,” she said, “ for now your danger is 
almost passed.” And having eaten all the cake and drunk all 
the wine, Godfrey fell into a deep sleep, for he was tired with 
his adventure. 

And lo! when he awoke he was lying upon a splendid bed of 
state, in a chamber with silken hangings. By his bedside, upon 
a velvet ottoman, he saw his clothes, his armor, and a silver 
bell. And to make certain that he was not dreaming, he rang 
the bell; and immediately there entered a pretty page clad in 
pale blue silk and silver, who bowed very low, and said: 

[7 1 ] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Command me, sire; Prince Ethelbert the Bear and his fair 
consort bade me tell you that they await your coming.” 

Thereupon Godfrey dressed himself with the help of the 
pretty page as quickly as might be and entered the ante¬ 
chamber. Here he found a crowd of bowing courtiers await¬ 
ing him; then the page led him through splendid apartments 
to the audience-chamber, where Wulfhilda received him with 
all the state of a princess. Beside her stood two lovely chil¬ 
dren, boy and girl. 

Next moment the door was opened, and Ethelbert the Bear 
came in. But he was a bear no longer, for he had turned into 
the handsomest and most charming of princes, and he lost 
no time in embracing his brother-in-law in a very friendly 
fashion. 

Then he told the youth how it was he came to be enchanted. 

An evil wizard had turned him into a fearsome bear; but 
every seventh day the magic lost its power and he became a 
prince again for four-and-twenty hours. Then, as soon as the 
silver stars grew pale in the sky, the enchantment fell once 
more upon him. His palace became a steep and barren rock, 
the fair park was changed into a desert, the fountains into 
dreary swamps, the prince became a bear, the knights and 
squires moles and weasels; while the maids of honor were 
transformed into owls and bats that hooted and screamed by 
day and by night. 

But over the lovely Wulfhilda the wizard had no power at 
all; and though her husband became a bear and their children 
cubs, she herself remained a woman always. And because on 
one day out of every seven she was the happiest of wives with 
two pretty children and a handsome and engaging prince for 
husband, she said to herself: 

“ I will be content with my fate, for marriage is ever a lot¬ 
tery, and it is not given to every wife to be merry once a week; 
nay, I have heard of women who have bears for husbands for 
seven days out of every seven.” 

Thus she had dwelt with Ethelbert the Bear for one-and- 
twenty years; but, since we live only when we are happy, and 

[ 72 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Wulfhilda had been happy for but one-seventh that term, she 
was still a young and lovely woman when Godfrey, her 
brother, came to her. 

Now, all this Wulfhilda and Ethelbert related to the youth 
as they took a walk together in the splendid park. Then the 
prince and princess ordered a great feast in their brother’s 
honor, and there was feasting and rejoicing all day long, while 
the minstrels made sweet music and the maids of honor danced 
with the knights and squires. 

But when the stars began to pale in the sky the prince grew 
restless, and whispered in his wife’s ear. Whereupon Wulf¬ 
hilda took her brother aside and spoke sadly thus: 

“ Beloved brother, we must part. The hour of enchantment 
is nigh, and soon all the pleasures of this palace will be no 
more. Ethelbert fears for you. The moment he becomes a 
bear once again he would not be able to resist his brutish in¬ 
stincts, but would tear you to pieces. Go, therefore, and leave 
this miserable forest, never to return.” 

“ Sister,” replied Godfrey, “ I cannot part from you thus. I 
sought you out so that I might break this accursed enchant¬ 
ment. Tell me what I can do to accomplish this?” 

“ Alas! ” returned his sister, “ that is what no mortal has 
power to do.” 

Thereupon Ethelbert entreated the youth so earnestly to fly 
from the danger that threatened him that he began to yield. 

Now, when Godfrey had embraced his sister, Ethelbert took 
from his wallet three bear’s hairs, gave them to the lad, and 
said: 

“ Do not despise this gift; but when you are in great peril, 
rub these hairs between your fingers, and help will be at 
hand.” 

Then he led him into the courtyard, where stood a splendid 
coach drawn by six coal-black steeds and surrounded by 
knights and squires. 

“ Farewell, my brother! ” cried Ethelbert the Bear. 

“ Farewell, my brother! ” replied Godfrey, and quickly 
leaped into the coach, and away it went over hill and dale, over 

[73] 




MAGIC CASEMENTS 

streams and meadows, through forests and through deserts, 
never stopping nor slackening its giddy pace. 

But when the last star faded from the sky, Godfrey found 
himself of a sudden thrown roughly to the ground, he knew 
not how. Coach and horses had vanished, but by the glimmer 
of the dawn he saw between his feet a nutshell drawn by six 
black ants in full gallop. Then he understood what had hap¬ 
pened, and took care not to tread upon a single ant. 

And when the sun had risen he looked about him, and saw 
that he was still in the midst of the magic forest. Thereupon 
he resolved to seek out his two other sisters and learn their 
fate. 

For three days and nights he wandered through the forest 
without meeting a single adventure. He had just finished the 
last morsel of the food Wulfhilda had placed in his satchel, 
when he heard a great rustling of wings in the air above him. 
He looked up, and beheld a mighty eagle swooping down upon 
a lofty tree, in which he had his nest. 

Godfrey rejoiced at this discovery, and hid himself among 
the bracken until the eagle should leave the nest again. For 
seven weary hours he waited; then at length the great bird 
rose from the tree and soared high into the air. When the 
eagle was but a speck in the distance, the youth stepped from 
his hiding-place and cried aloud: 

“ Adeline, beloved sister, if you dwell in this lofty oak, an¬ 
swer me! I am Godfrey, called the Marvelous, your brother, 
and I am come hither to break the mighty enchantment that 
holds you prisoner.” 

Scarcely had he ended ere a soft voice replied, as from the 
clouds: 

“ Godfrey the Marvelous, your sister Adeline bids you wel¬ 
come. Come to her, for she is eager to embrace you.” 

On hearing these words Godfrey was filled with gladness, 
and immediately tried to climb the lofty tree. But this he 
could not do, for the trunk was of great thickness, so that 
he could gain no hold, and the nearest branches were beyond 
his reach. 


[74] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

While he was still wondering what he could do there was a 
rustling in the branches, and lo! a silken rope-ladder fell at his 
feet. And by this means he speedily climbed to the top of the 
tree, and here the Eagle’s nest was perched. 

The nest was roomy, and as strongly built as any house. It 
was sheltered by an awning lined with rose-colored satin, and 
beneath this awning sat a young and lovely woman, who, God¬ 
frey knew, could be no other than his second sister, the beau¬ 
tiful Adeline. Upon her lap lay a young eaglet, which she was 
busily tending. 

She welcomed her brother tenderly, and told him the manner 
of her unhappy husband’s enchantment. 

Now, Edgar the Eagle’s story was well-nigh the same as 
Ethelbert the Bear’s, save that Prince Edgar’s enchantment 
lasted for six weeks out of every seven. 

And Godfrey resolved to await the day of transformation, 
though, as the fair Adeline had told him, six long weeks had 
yet to pass before the happy hour could come again. 

Then Adeline took food from her store, gave it to her 
brother, and bade him hide in a hollow tree. 

“ As you love your life,” she entreated him, “ beware of Ed¬ 
gar’s eagle eye. If he sees you, you are lost. He will tear 
you to pieces and then devour you, as he did but yesterday to 
three poor youths who strayed into this forest.” 

Godfrey trembled at the fate of the youths, promised great 
care, and lay hidden in the hollow tree for six long weeks. 
Only when the Eagle left his nest did he venture forth to em¬ 
brace his sister. 

And at the end of the six weeks everything happened ex¬ 
actly as it had happened in the Bear’s cave. The Eagle was 
transformed into a beautiful and charming prince, his nest into 
a magnificent palace. For seven days there was feasting, dan¬ 
cing, and general rejoicing, and at the close of the seventh day 
Edgar the Eagle bade his brother-in-law farewell. 

Then Godfrey spoke, in great sorrow: 

“ And must I then part from you and my beloved sister 
forever? Is there no way to loose the unhappy enchantment 

[ 75 ] 





MAGIC CASEMENTS 

that holds you prisoner? Had I a hundred lives to lose, I 
would risk them all to save you.” 

Edgar embraced him tenderly, and replied: 

“ Thanks, noble youth, for your love and friendship. Well I 
know there is a way to loose the enchantment, but you must 
not—shall not venture upon it! Give up this thought, I entreat 
* you, for if you fail, you will surely die! ” 

But these words only made Godfrey the more eager for the 
adventure, and he urged the prince to tell him how he should 
begin upon it. 

But he, fearing for the lad’s life, would not consent to tell 
him. 

“ All that I can tell you, noble brother,” he said, “ is that 
you must find the key to open the Gate of Enchantment. If 
fate has willed it that you should be our deliverer, the stars 
will guide you on your way; if not, ’twere folly to try.” 

Thereupon he drew three eagle’s feathers from his wallet, 
and gave them to the youth, saying: 

“ In the hour of your utmost need take these feathers, rub 
them between your hands, and help shall be at hand.” 

Then Godfrey the Marvelous left the palace hastily, for the 
hour of enchantment was nigh. But, when he had gone but a 
short way, he sat down beneath a linden-tree, that he might 
watch the miracle. 

Now it came to pass that at daybreak a thick mist rose from 
the earth, and hid the palace from Godfrey’s sight. And when 
the sun had dispersed the mist, lo! the palace was gone, and 
the youth found himself upon the top of a wooded cliff that 
looked down into a yawning abyss. 

And as he gazed about him, seeking for a path into the val¬ 
ley, he saw in the far distance a lake whose waters sparkled in 
the sunlight. 

Overjoyed at this discovery, he took his sword in his hand 
and hewed a path for himself through the dense brushwood, 
keeping his eyes ever fixed upon the silvery lake, for there he 
hoped to find his third sister, Esmeralda. All day he hacked 
and hewed, until his arms grew weary and his legs would 

[76] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

scarce support him. But toward sundown the way became 
clearer, and he could plainly see the waters of the lake glisten¬ 
ing between the trees. 

But when he reached the borders of the lake he was so weary 
that he threw himself down upon the grass and soon fell 
asleep; and when he awoke again the sun was already high 
in the heavens. 

Then, refreshed by his sleep and of good cheer, he sprang 
up, and wandered along the shore of the lake, wondering how 
he might reach his sister. 

In vain he cried aloud: 

“ Esmeralda, beloved sister, if you dwell in this lake, answer 
me. I am Godfrey, called the Marvelous, your brother, come 
hither to break the mighty enchantment that holds you in this 
watery prison.” 

Only the echoes from the forest made reply. 

Then Godfrey cried to the fishes that darted to and fro in 
the clear water: 

“ Dear fishes, go tell your mistress that her brother awaits 
her here.” 

And he took all the bread-crumbs left in his satchel and 
threw them into the pond to bribe the fishes; and they swal¬ 
lowed the bread greedily, but took no heed of the giver. 

Now when Godfrey saw that the fishes could not be per¬ 
suaded, he took off his armor, drew his sword from its sheath, 
and with it leaped far into the water. Then he swam boldly 
into the middle of the lake, seeking for a sign of Esmeralda or 
the monstrous fish, her husband. 

And presently, when his strength began to leave him, he 
espied, not far away, a thin mist rising from the water. He 
swam toward it, and there he saw a column of rock-crystal that 
jutted out above the surface of the lake. The column was hol¬ 
low, and out of it there rose clouds of smoke of a very sweet 
smell, and Godfrey guessed that this was the chimney of Es¬ 
meralda’s dwelling. 

Straightway he climbed to the top and glided down the open¬ 
ing. Down he glided, far, far down, until all at once he found 

[ 77 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

himself in a crystal chamber where a young and lovely woman 
was preparing her morning chocolate. 

Now, when the young woman beheld a handsome youth ap¬ 
pearing from the chimney, she cried out in terror, let fall her 
pot of chocolate, and herself fell fainting to the ground. 

When she opened her eyes once more, she moaned out, in 
a feeble voice, these words: 

“ O unhappy stranger, whoever you be, that darest to enter 
this fatal dwelling, do you not know that it is death to come 
here ? ” 

But the brave youth replied: 

“ Fear nothing, my love. I am your brother Godfrey, called 
the Marvelous, come to seek my beloved sisters, and to break 
the enchantment that holds them. I heed neither danger nor 
death in this my quest.” 

Then Esmeralda embraced her brother tenderly, yet trem¬ 
bled with fear. 

“ Though you escaped from the Bear and the Eagle,” said 
she, “ yet the Shark, my husband, will surely devour you.” 

“ Hide me, as your sisters did,” returned Godfrey, “ and I 
will await the period of disenchantment.” 

“ Alas! ” replied Esmeralda, “ cannot you see that this 
dwelling is built of crystal, and that its walls are as transparent 
as the finest glass ? ” 

“ Surely,” said the lad, “ there is some corner where you can 
conceal me.” 

Then the lovely Esmeralda thought deeply, and at length she 
led him to the wood-cellar. And Godfrey crept under the pile 
of wood, while Esmeralda hurried to the audience-chamber to 
await the coming of Ufo the Shark. 

No,w, the Shark could not enter the crystal dwelling, for he 
would have perished for lack of water. Yet he came daily to 
his wife’s abode, that he might gaze upon her beauty through 
the transparent walls. 

Scarce had the beautiful Esmeralda entered the audience- 
chamber when the monster fish appeared. 

The waters rushed and foamed about the crystal palace, and 

[ 78 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the Shark flapped his tail and glared at Esmeralda with bul¬ 
ging, sea-green eyes. 

Now, strive as she would, the lovely lady could not hide her 
terror. Her heart beat wildly; she turned first pale, then red, 
and trembled in every limb. 

This did not escape the Shark, despite his fishy nature. With 
horrible grimaces he darted to and fro, and round and round 
the palace, lashing the waters until the crystal dwelling shook 
and shivered, and Esmeralda expected every moment that it 
would be dashed to atoms. 

But the suspicious Shark had spoiled his own ends, for he 
had troubled the water so that he could see nothing; and find¬ 
ing all his staring useless, he presently swam away. 

Each day the Shark returned and swam three times round 
the palace, spying into every nook and corner. But Godfrey 
lay hidden beneath the pile of wood, and the fish saw nothing 
at all. 

At last the hour of disenchantment came. Godfrey awoke 
one morning to find himself in a princely palace upon a little 
island. And all around—houses, gardens, and market-places— 
seemed to be floating upon the water. In place of streets there 
were canals, upon which hundreds of boats glided to and fro. 

And Prince Ufo the Shark welcomed his brother-in-law 
right heartily, and great was the rejoicing in the palace. 

Now, this prince was under the enchantment for six months 
out of every seven, so that Godfrey could abide for one whole 
month with his sister. 

At length the time of parting came, and Ufo took the youth 
aside and spoke these words: 

“ Return, I entreat you, to your sorrowing parents, who 
mourn you for dead. Do not linger by the way, but go at 
once, lest you perish in this enchanted spot.” 

But the youth replied: 

“ Nay, tell me what I must do to loose the enchantment.” 

Then the prince answered: 

“ You must first find the key to unlock the Gate of Enchant¬ 
ment before you can destroy the thing that has worked this 

[79] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

evil upon me and my brothers. More than this I cannot tell to 
you.” 

“ I will find the magic key or perish in the quest! ” cried the 
brave lad. 

And though the prince besought him most earnestly to give 
up his rash adventure, he would not be persuaded. 

Then Ufo the Shark took from his wallet three fish-scales, 
and thus he spoke: 

“ Do not scorn this simple gift, but in the time of your need 
rub the scales between your fingers, and help shall be at hand.” 

Thereupon Godfrey embraced his lovely sister, who wept 
bitterly, bade the prince farewell, and leaped into the gilded 
boat that lay in waiting to carry him to the shore. 

Scarce had he reached the firm land when a great darkness 
rose up about him, and when it grew light again, the gondola, 
the palace, the gardens and market-places had vanished, and 
the youth saw nothing but a fish-pond overgrown with reeds 
that swayed and rustled in the morning breeze. And the lad’s 
shield and armor lay upon the spot where he had left them as 
he leaped into the water three moons before, and his spear was 
thrust into the ground beside them. 

Then Godfrey the Marvelous donned his armor, and vowed 
that he would neither sleep nor rest until the key of the En¬ 
chanted Gate lay in his hand. 

For seven long days and nights he sought in vain. But on 
the eighth day he reached the summit of a high mountain, and 
looked down into a valley overgrown with cypress and hemlock 
and pine and fir trees. 

And there, in the far distance, he espied what looked like a 
strange monument. Marveling what this might be, he de¬ 
scended the mountain and bent his steps toward the thing he 
had seen. Then he beheld two marble pillars that towered 
white ?nd huge against the morning sky. And supported by 
the pillars, and shadowed by an arch, stood a gate of steel, 
stoutly guarded with bands of iron; and beyond the gate a cav¬ 
ern yawned, black and unfathomable, and on either hand a wall 
of solid rock rose up. 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Close by the gate a black bull was grazing. He looked from 
side to side, fiercely, with glittering eyes. 

“ Surely this is the guardian of the Enchanted Gate,” said 
Godfrey, and rejoiced greatly, for he knew that the adventure 
he sought was at hand. 

Now, when the bull caught sight of the youth, a great fury 
seized him. He ran hither and thither, roaring lustily, 
stamped the ground with his feet so that great clods of soil flew 
into the air, and dashed his horns against the rocks, making 
the earth to shake and tremble. 

And Godfrey the Marvelous stood • on guard with drawn 
sword, waiting for the bull’s approach, that with one brave 
stroke he might sever his head from his body. 

And the bull ran at the youth with lowered horns. But alas! 
the neck of the bull was proof against steel and iron, and God¬ 
frey’s sword was shivered into fragments, so that only the hilt 
remained in his hand. 

Now the lad had nothing left but a wooden lance, pointed 
with steel. And he thrust at the bull with the lance, right be¬ 
tween the horns, but the lance broke as though it had been 
a reed. 

Then the bull seized the youth upon his horns and threw him 
high into the air, meaning to trample him under foot as he fell. 

But Godfrey was caught by the outspread branches of a wild 
pear-tree, and the bull could not reach him. Yet he butted the 
tree so violently with his iron forehead that it was quickly up¬ 
rooted and fell to the ground with its burden. 

Now, it came to pass that in his sore peril Godfrey remem¬ 
bered the gifts of his brothers-in-law; and he drew forth the 
hairs of Ethelbert and rubbed them between his fingers. No 
sooner had he done this than a monstrous bear appeared and 
rushed to attack the bull. 

Fierce was the fight and long. At length the bear gained 
the mastery, and, crushing the bull to death, tore him to pieces. 
And as the bear rent the bull’s ribs asunder, a gull fluttered 
from out of it, and, with loud cries, flew into the air. 

Then Godfrey knew that, though the bull was slain, the 

[81] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

magic key was yet to be won. Quickly he seized the three 
eagle’s feathers and rubbed them between his fingers. 

No sooner had he done this than a mighty eagle rose high 
into the air and pursued the gull. Then the gull took its flight 
straight toward the Enchanted Lake; and the eagle swooped 
down and crushed it with its mighty claws. But in dying the 
gull dropped a golden egg into the lake. 

This did not escape the eye of Godfrey. Instantly he drew 
forth the three fish-scales and rubbed them between his fingers. 
Thereupon a great shark rose from the water, caught the egg 
in his monstrous jaws, and spat it out upon the shore. 

Then Godfrey the Marvelous took a stone and broke the 
golden egg, and lo! a tiny key fell out. Seizing the key, the 
gallant lad hastened toward the Gate of Steel. 

“ Surely this key is very small for this giant lock,” said God¬ 
frey the Marvelous. 

Yet no sooner had the key touched the lock than it sprang 
open, the heavy bolts flew back, and the steel gate opened wide. 

Right joyously Godfrey entered the dusky cavern, and came 
upon seven doors that led to seven different chambers, each 
splendidly furnished and lighted with hundreds of tapers. 

And when he had passed through the seventh chamber he 
saw yet another door, and opening this, he found himself in an 
eighth apartment, where, asleep upon a couch, he beheld a 
young woman of great beauty. And as the youth gazed at her, 
marveling at her loveliness, he saw that she was sleeping the 
sleep of enchantment. 

Now, when at length he removed his eyes from the young 
woman’s face, they fell upon an alabaster tablet full of strange 
letters. And immediately Godfrey guessed that upon this tab¬ 
let was engraved the talisman by which all the enchantments of 
that forest were preserved. 

In sudden anger he clenched his fist, armed with the glove 
of mail, and struck the tablet a mighty blow. Instantly the 
lovely sleeper started, awoke, cast a fearful glance toward the 
tablet, then fell back once more into her death-like sleep. God¬ 
frey repeated the blow, and everything happened as before. 

[82] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Thereupon the youth bethought himself how he might de¬ 
stroy the talisman. He had neither sword nor spear, nothing 
but two sturdy arms. With these he seized the magic tablet 
and hurled it from its lofty pedestal onto the marble floor, 
where it broke into a hundred fragments. 

At this the beautiful young woman awoke once more, and 
for the first time cast an eye on Godfrey the Marvelous, who 
sank down before her right gallantly upon one knee. But ere 
the lad could speak she hid her lovely face with her silken veil, 
and spoke, in scorn and anger, these words: 

“ Away, miserable sorcerer! Not even in the shape of a 
handsome youth can you cheat my eyes or lead my heart 
astray. Go hence, and leave me in the death-like sleep your 
magic has put upon me” 

Then Godfrey, understanding her mistake, replied: 

“ Fair lady, do not scorn me. I am not the wizard whom 
you fear, but Count Godfrey, called the Marvelous. I have 
destroyed the talisman that held you prisoner.” 

At these words the lady lifted her veil a little, beheld the 
alabaster tablet shattered into fragments, cast her eyes upon 
the young prince, and found him very good to look upon. 
Thereupon she gave him’her hand, and told him to rise from 
his knees, and said: 

“If you have done what you say, noble knight, finish your 
gallant deed, I pray you, and lead me out of this dreadful cav¬ 
ern, that I may behold God’s sunshine, if it be day, or the sil¬ 
very stars, if night has fallen.” 

Then Godfrey gave the lady his arm, that he might guide 
her through the seven splendid rooms of state. He opened the 
door, and lo! all was black as night. The tapers were extin¬ 
guished, and the crystal candlesticks no longer shed a luster 
from the lofty ceilings. 

For hours Godfrey and the lady groped about the inky dark¬ 
ness. The splendidly furnished apartments had vanished, and 
nothing remained but seven damp and gruesome caves. 

At length they espied from afar off the glimmer of daylight, 
and hastening toward it, found an outlet in the rocks. 

[83] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

And now the fair stranger cried aloud with gladness, for the 
scent of the pine-trees was sweet in her nostrils, and the gentle 
breeze played joyously with her golden tresses. And she sat 
down amid the bracken and bade Godfrey sit by her side. And 
the youth’s heart glowed with love for the maiden, and he mar¬ 
veled who she might be, and how she had come to that en¬ 
chanted spot. Then she, reading his thought, flushed rosily 
and spoke to him thus: 

^ “ I am Hildegarde, daughter of the great Prince Rathbod. 
Long ago, the giant Hornibrand desired me for his wife. My 
father, knowing the giant to be of evil mind, given to the prac¬ 
tice of black magic, refused my hand. Then the giant made 
war against my father, slew him, seized his lands, and took me 
prisoner. My father dead, there was no one to defend me, for 
my brothers, three gallant knights, were battling in distant 
climes. 

“ And the dreadful Hornibrand carried me far away to his 
dominions, threatening me with awful curses if I refused to be 
his wife. Then I, hating him because I knew that he was 
my father’s murderer, resolved to die rather than yield to 
him. 

“ But the wizard would not kill me, but sought to change 
my heart by a thousand tricks. He took me to a splendid pal¬ 
ace and bade his servants wait upon me as their mistress, heap¬ 
ing costly gifts at my feet. For seven days he left me; but on 
the eighth day he came again to renew his suit. And still I 
would have none of him. Thereupon he was seized with a 
great fury and cried: 

“ ‘ Heartless one, though you be cruel to me, be not so to 
your three brothers. They came hither with their armies to 
tear you from my grasp. They are now within my power. 
Consent to be my wife, and they shall instantly be freed. Re¬ 
fuse, and they shall be forever condemned to haunt these for¬ 
ests in monstrous shapes/ 

“ This miserable lie served but to embitter my heart still fur¬ 
ther against my enemy. I defied him with scornful words. 

“ ‘ Unhappy woman! ’ then cried the wretch, 4 your fate is 

[84] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

sealed. Sleep for as long as the invisible powers obey this 
talisman! ’ 

“ Then the earth began to tremble beneath my feet, a dark¬ 
ness came over the land, my senses left me, and I sank, faint¬ 
ing, upon my couch. You, noble knight, by destroying the tal¬ 
isman, have freed me from my death-like sleep. I know not by 
what power you have done this, nor why the sorcerer gives no 
sign. Surely he is dead, else would he not have permitted the 
destruction of his talisman to go unpunished.” 

Now, the lovely Hildegarde was right. The giant Horni- 
brand had, in his pride, made war upon a certain powerful en¬ 
chantress who in knowledge of the black arts far surpassed her 
enemy. With magic weapons she dispersed his army and slew 
their leader. And at the very moment that Hildegarde was 
telling her story, the head of Hornibrand was bubbling in the 
witch’s caldron. 

When the fair Hildegarde had ended, Godfrey the Marvel¬ 
ous made haste to relate his own adventures. And the prin¬ 
cess could not doubt that the three enchanted princes were no 
other than her three brothers, and that what Hornibrand had 
told her of their horrid fate was no lie indeed. 

Scarce had Godfrey finished his tale when a great stir arose 
in the mountains. Then, amid trumpet-blasts and shouts of 
joy, three squadrons of horsemen broke through the forest, 
and at the head of all came the three princes, Ethelbert, Edgar, 
and Ufo, the brothers of Hildegarde, with their three lovely 
wives, Wulfhilda, Adeline, and Esmeralda, the sisters of God¬ 
frey. 

Then all the princes and princesses fell about one another’s 
necks and wept for joy; and with beating of drums and blaring 
of trumpets, the cavalcade went on its way to the old castle 
on the edge of the forest, where the parents of Godfrey and the 
three princesses mourned them for dead. 

Now, the old countess had not ceased to shed tears and to 
strew ashes on her head since Godfrey’s departure. 

But when she beheld, not Godfrey the Marvelous alone, but 
all her daughters safe and sound, with their husbands by their 

.[ 85 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

side, she shook the ashes from her silver hair and shed tears of 
gladness. 

Then was there no end to the rejoicing in the castle. And 
Godfrey the Marvelous took possession of the wizard’s domain, 
and there and then wedded the lovely Hildegarde. And every 
one lived happily ever after. 


[86] 


The Nymph of the INell 

L ONG ago, there lived a knight in a castle on the top 
of a steep mountain. And the knight had a beautiful 
and virtuous wife. 

Now, at the foot of the mountain there was a grotto, and 
in the grotto there was a well. And the well was said to 
be haunted by a fairy. 

This nymph, so people said, lived at the bottom of the well; 
and sometimes, when any great thing was about to happen 
at the castle, she would rise out of the water at midnight and 
send a white mist floating up the mountain. 

And the lady of the castle, whose name was Gertrude, loved 
to walk by the grotto. And one day in every week she would 
sit at the mouth of the well to distribute alms to the poor, 
and the fame of her charity spread far and wide. 

Now, it came about that the knight, her husband, went 
to war in a far country, and when he did not return, Gertrude 
was sad at heart. 

And one night when she could not close her eyes for grief, 
she rose at midnight and wandered down the mountain to the 
little grotto. 

Now, as she sat by the well, mingling her tears with the 
green waters, a white mist rose up, and out of the mist there 
came a lovely woman. She was clothed all in white gossa¬ 
mer, and her dripping tresses hung below her waist. The 
moon shone full upon her, and Gertrude knew that this was 
the nymph of the well. 

Then she cried out in great terror: 

“ Oh, spirit, are you come to tell me that Amarind, my be¬ 
loved husband, is slain?” 


[87] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

But the nymph, in a wondrously gentle voice, replied: 

“ Fear nothing, Gertrude, your heart is pure as the water 
in my well; therefore, I am your friend. Listen to the news 
I bring you. Your husband lives, and ere the cock crows 
you will see him again. Now, before the year is out, a 
daughter will be born to you. The stars are not unfriendly 
to her, but an unkind fate will rob her of a mother’s care.” 

When the noble lady heard this, she was very sad. But the 
nymph said: 

“ Do not cry. When you are gone, I will befriend your 
child, on one condition: that you choose me to be her god¬ 
mother. Take this pebble, and when the hour of christening 
is at hand, send one whom you can trust and bid her throw 
the pebble into this well. Say nothing of what you have seen 
or heard this night.” 

Thereupon the nymph embraced Gertrude tenderly, 
wrapped herself in mist, and vanished down the well as sud¬ 
denly as she had come. 

Then everything fell out as the nymph had foretold. 

The brave Amarind returned from the wars; and within 
the year a daughter was born, fair as the morning. 

There was great rejoicing at the castle, and people were 
bidden to the christening feast from far and wide. 

And on the day of the feast, Gertrude summoned a faithful 
maid, and bade her take the pebble the nymph had given her 
and throw it into the well. 

The maid did as she was told, and before she had time to 
reach the castle again, a strawge lady entered the chamber 
where all the guests were assembled, and, when the child was 
brought in, took her place among the godfathers and god¬ 
mothers. 

And every one looked in amazement at the beautiful 
stranger; she was clad in flowing robes of silk that shim¬ 
mered now blue, now green; and ropes of pearls worth a 
king’s ransom hung about her neck and waist. A brilliant 
sapphire held her long gossamer veil; but the ends of the 
veil were wet, as though they had trailed in the water. 

[ 88 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

And every one wondered who the stranger might be. And 
when the godfathers and godmothers showed their gifts to 
the child, all eyes looked toward the lovely lady, thinking she 
had surely brought a gift of great value. But she had nothing 
but a tiny wooden ball. This she laid upon the child’s cradle, 
and having kissed the mother, she left the room as quietly as 
she had come. 

Then there was much whispering and laughing among the 
guests, and they mocked at the stranger and her paltry gift. 
But the mother said nothing of what she knew, and locked 
the ball away in her jewel-box. 

Now, when the child, who had been named Gertrude, after 
her mother, was barely out of swaddling clothes, the nymph’s 
words came true—the lady of the castle fell sick and died. 
And so swift was her death that she had no time to think 
of the nymph’s present, so the ball of wood remained locked 
up in her jewel-case. 

Then the knight mourned bitterly for his lady; and when 
the period of mourning was at an end, he married another 
wife. 

But the second wife was vain and cruel. She wasted the 
knight’s money on fine clothes, and gave her little step¬ 
daughter into the care of his servants, not caring what be¬ 
came of the child. 

Now, one day she broke open the jewel-case that had 
belonged to the former wife, and saw the little wooden ball 
among a great store of gems. So she took the precious 
stones, but threw the ball out of window as a thing of no 
value. 

But the little Gertrude was sitting in the garden, playing 
with her dolls, and the ball came rolling to her feet. And the 
child took the ball, and was mightily pleased with the new toy. 
And that same day the nurse walked with her charge to the 
foot of the mountain; and, the sun being fierce in the sky, 
sought shelter by the cool shade of the well. 

Presently the child grew hungry. Now, the nurse had for¬ 
gotten the bread and honey she should have brought with her. 

[ 89 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

So she went into the bushes to gather blackberries, while the 
child played with her wooden ball. And as she was throwing 
the ball this way and that, all at once it rolled into the well. 

Instantly a young and lovely woman rose from the water, 
took the child in her arms, and began to fondle and caress 
her with such soothing words that the little one was not 
afraid. 

“ See, here is your toy that fell into my well,” she said. 
“ I am your godmother, my child, and I loved your mother 
dearly. I promised her to befriend you, and I will keep 
my promise. Come hither as often as you like, little one, and 
whenever you want me throw a pebble into this well and I 
will come to you. But this ball you must never play with 
again. Guard it well, for it is very precious. One day it will 
grant you five wishes. When you are older I will tell you 
more.” 

When she had said this, the nurse returned and the nymph 
vanished. 

Now, Gertrude was a wise child for her years. She said 
nothing to the nurse of what had happened, but when she 
was alone she found needle and cotton and sewed the wooden 
ball into the lining of her dress. 

From that day the child lost no chance of going to the 
grotto and meeting her beautiful godmother. And the 
nymph taught her everything a maid ought to know; so that 
when, as the years went by, the child grew up into a lovely 
young woman, she was both wise and good. 

Now, one day, when Gertrude went down to the well, she 
found the nymph very woeful, and when Gertrude asked why 
she was so sad, the nymph cried bitterly and said: 

“ My child, I have sad tidings for you. Before the corn in 
yonder meadow is ripe for the reaper you will be homeless 
and fatherless. Listen. When the maids go forth to draw 
water from my well, and return with empty pails, prepare 
for a great disaster. Guard well the ball I have given you, 
and do not waste your wishes. This is the last time we meet 
here in this grotto.” 


[90] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Then the nymph taught Gertrude some magic powers 
which the ball possessed, embraced her fondly, and vanished. 

And before the harvest was ripe the words of the nymph 
came true. One day at eventide the maids went forth to draw 
water from the well, and returned with empty pitchers, pale 
and trembling in every limb. The White Lady, they said, 
was sitting by the well, sobbing and sighing and wringing 
her hands, and this surely boded some terrible misfortune. 

Gertrude said nothing, for the nymph had bidden her be 
silent. She sat in her chamber trembling, and waited for 
what was to come. 

Now, her father’s second wife had spent all the knight 
possessed, so that he was forced at length to make war upon 
a neighbor’s castle, as many noble knights did in those days, 
hoping to conquer his foe and carry off his money-bags. 

But the neighbor gained the victory, killed the knight, put 
his men to flight, and stormed the castle; then he slew every 
one he found therein, man and woman alike. 

But Gertrude took the magic ball, turned it three times 
in her hand, and spoke the words her godmother had taught 
her: 


“ Behind me, night, 
Before me, day ; 
Let me depart, 
Unseen, away." 


Straightway she became invisible, and fled, unnoticed, 
through the throng of armed men, out of the castle, down the 
mountain, on and on, until her feet would carry her no farther. 
Then she sank down on the grass and, looking back, beheld 
the castle wrapped in flames. At that her tears fell fast, for 
now she knew that the nymph’s words had come true. 

At daybreak next morning, finding that the magic spell 
had passed, and she was once more visible, she set off again, 
until she came to a village. There a kind peasant woman gave 
her a loaf of bread and a bowl of milk, and Gertrude begged 
the woman to take her fine clothes and exchange them for 

[91] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

a dress of coarse country fashion, and this the woman did, 
too. 

Then Gertrude resolved to take what work she could find 
to do, but for a long time she could get nothing, for she 
had no character to show, and no one would trust a strange 
young woman. 

At last she came to the house of Count Conrad, called the 
Light of Heart. 

Now, the dame who kept his house for him had so bad a 
temper that no servant would stay with her for long, and it 
chanced on the day that Gertrude came to the house every 
one of the maids had run away, so Dame Jemima was at her 
wits’ end what to do. 

Now, Gertrude had padded her shoulders to hide her lovely 
form, smeared her face and hands with soot, and hidden her 
silken tresses beneath an ugly kerchief, so that she was a 
sorry sight to behold. 

“ Who are you? ” asked Dame Jemima. 

And the maid replied: 

“ Gertrude is my name. My parents are dead, and I want 
to earn an honest living.” 

“H’m! What can you do?” demanded the dame. 

“ Listen, I pray you,” said Gertrude: 

“ I can boil and roast, 

And grill and toast, 

And scour and scrub, 

And wipe and rub. 

I can patch and I can darn, 

Sew and spin and weave the yarn, 

Chop the wood and make the fire. 

Milk the cows and clean the byre, 

Ever ready, never tire; 

Willing work for modest hire.” 

“ A pack of lies of course,” said Dame Jemima, but she 
engaged Gertrude for all that. 

And the maid was as good as her word. She worked cheer¬ 
fully from sunrise to sunset and even later, and there was no 

il92] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

work too mean or too hard for her; in fact, there was nothing 
at all she could not or would not do. 

So the dame became less bad-tempered day by day; and, 
though she found fault all the time, having grown into the way 
of it with former maids, and though she sometimes threw 
plates and dishes at Gertrude’s head, having got into that way 
also, she never beat her with the carpet-beater or prodded her 
with the toasting-fork as she had done with the others. 

Now it came about that the moment Gertrude set eyes upon 
Count Conrad, her master, she fell head over ears in love 
with him. There was nothing strange in that, for the Count 
was the handsomest young man she had ever seen; so tall and 
so manly, with such blue eyes and such waving hair and such 
a great ostrich feather in his hat. 

But he had no eyes at all for the poor kitchen-wench, with 
her humped shoulders and her sooty face. 

But one day the king of that country gave a great ball, and 
all the bravest knights and all the fairest ladies were bidden 
from far and wide. And Count Conrad was among the hon¬ 
ored guests. 

When Gertrude heard this she resolved to go to the ball 
at all costs. So that same night, when she had finished her 
work and all was quiet in the house, she went to her chamber 
and washed the soot from her face and hands, and took the 
hump from her back. 

Then she drew forth the wooden ball the nymph had given 
her and spun it in her hand as the nymph had shown her, 
saying: 

“ Dear ball, 

On you 
I call 
To do 

Your duty ; 

I need— 

Oh, yes 
Indeed— 

A dress— 

A beauty ! ” 

[93] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Gertrude 
heard a rustling, and then, hey, presto! the most beautiful 
dress in the world lay at her feet—it might have fallen from 
the ceiling or sprung from the floor, Gertrude could not have 
told which. 

The dress fitted her like a glove, and she looked so lovely 
in it that she clapped her hands for joy and nearly woke up 
Dame Jemima, who was already snoring in her bed. 

Then she turned the magic ball three times in her hand, and 
said: 

“ Behind me, night, 

Before me, day; 

Let me depart, 

Unseen, away.” 

She flew invisible through the streets and arrived at the 
palace just when the ball was at its merriest. 

And then—oh, the staring and whispering and wondering 
there was among the other guests! Every one of the men 
said she was the most beautiful maiden in the ball-room, and 
every one of the women had to own that she was the most 
magnificently dressed. 

And Count Conrad was among the first to do her homage. 
He no sooner looked at her than he fell head over ears in love 
with her; and he burned with curiosity to know who the lovely 
stranger might be. 

But though she danced with him most graciously, and an¬ 
swered his looks with maidenly smiles and blushes, not one 
word could Conrad learn as to who she was or whence she 
came. 

The love-sick knight would hardly leave her side, and it was 
almost morning before she found a chance of slipping out 
of the ball-room. Then she drew forth her wooden ball, 
murmured the magic verse, and returned unnoticed to her 
attic. 

On the next night there was another ball at the palace, and 
everything fell out as on the day before. 

[94] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Gertrude wished herself another dress, and this was still 
more beautiful and still more costly than the first. So when 
she appeared at the ball she was even lovelier than the night 
before. 

Then Count Conrad could contain himself no longer, but 
there and then he asked the lovely stranger to be his bride. 
Gertrude listened modestly to what he had to say, then made 
answer: 

“ You speak rashly, noble knight. Your words, I will not 
deny it, are pleasing in my ears; yet how am I to believe them 
true? I am a stranger to you. You know not who I am or 
whence I came. Do you, then, choose your bride so lightly? ” 

“ Fair unknown! ” cried the knight, “ so perfect a face and 
form as yours can harbor no ill. Though I know neither your 
name nor whence you come, yet I know you to be as good and 
wise as you are beautiful. Were you the daughter of the hum¬ 
blest servant in this palace, yet would I gladly choose you for 
wife.” 

When Gertrude heard these words she trembled with joy, for 
she loved Count Conrad with all her heart. But she desired to 
prove his love; and when he would have kissed her she drew 
back and said: 

“ Nay, Sir Knight, you are overbold. I have given you no 
promise.” 

Thereupon the knight answered: 

“ Cruel one, do you doubt me still ? Then will I prove to 
you that I am true and honest. In three days from now will 
I give a great feast in your honor. All my friends and neigh¬ 
bors, the best in the land, shall be bidden to the feast to witness 
our betrothal. Meanwhile, I give you this ring in token of my 
true love.” 

So saying, he placed upon her finger a diamond ring of great 
value. Gertrude kept the ring, but as to the betrothal-feast 
she would say him neither yea nor nay. 

At daybreak she contrived to slip away unseen as before. 
But Conrad, the Light of Heart, never doubted that she would 
come to the betrothal-feast. 

[95] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

And that same day the count called Dame Jemima and bade 
her prepare a splendid banquet. Then was there a great stir 
and clatter in the house. All day and all night long the maids 
were in the kitchen roasting the fowls and baking the pasties. 
And Gertrude worked harder than all the rest, and was glad 
of heart, for she knew that it was for her the feast was 
prepared. 

Now, at the appointed hour the noble guests arrived from 
far and wide. Count Conrad stood at the door looking for 
his bride, but the time went by and she did not come. 

At length, when the hour for the feast was long past, the 
knight was forced to give the signal for the banquet to be 
served; and, when all the guests were seated, one chair re¬ 
mained vacant. And every one wondered who the absent guest 
might be. 

So the hours went by, and Conrad, the host, lost all light¬ 
ness of heart, and could not hide his vexation. 

The guests, though he strove with forced gaiety to entertain 
them, did not fail to observe his ill humor, and became silent. 

At length the evening grew so doleful that every one was 
glad when the time for parting came. 

And Conrad went to his chamber, sick and sore, and tossed 
all night on his couch, sleeping never a wink in his sorrow and 
despair. 

And in the morning, when his servants entered the chamber, 
they found the knight in a fever, sick unto death. 

Then many physicians of note were summoned to his bed¬ 
side. But though they looked terribly wise, and wrote out pre¬ 
scriptions by the yard, none could tell what ailed the patient. 

And Count Conrad turned his back upon them, and would 
not swallow their potions, but begged them to leave him to die 
in peace without their help. 

For seven days the knight gave himself up to his secret sor¬ 
row, which so preyed upon him that the fire faded from his 
eyes and the roses from his cheeks, and his breath came and 
went as the breath of one on the edge of the grave. 

On the eighth day Gertrude, as was her custom, went to 

[96] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Dame Jemima for her orders, and found the dame sobbing bit¬ 
terly. 

“ O Gertrude! ” she cried, as the tears rolled down her 
leathern cheeks, “ before the cock crows again we shall have 
lost our good master! The physicians say that he will not out¬ 
live this day.” 

When Gertrude heard this, her heart misgave her; then, 
taking courage, she said: 

“ Do not be afraid, mistress. Our master will recover. I 
have had a wondrous dream this night.” 

Then the dame bade her speak, for she had great faith in 
dreams. 

“ I dreamed,” said Gertrude, “ I was at home again with my 
mother, and she took me aside and taught me to prepare the 
soup of nine herbs that cures all diseases. 

“ If your master takes but three spoonfuls of this soup,” said 
she, “ he will not die, but will instantly be healed of his sick¬ 
ness.” 

At this the dame was beside herself with joy. 

“ Go at once! ” she cried. “ Prepare your soup, and I will 
persuade our master to taste it.” 

Then Gertrude prepared a bowl of chicken broth, in which 
she put all manner of delicate herbs and essences; and, last of 
all, she put in the diamond ring which Count Conrad had given 
her. 

Now, the knight feared Dame Jemima’s tongue, so that he 
was persuaded to taste a spoonful of the soup. 

And when he dipped in his spoon, he felt a hard substance 
in the bottom of the bowl. He fished it out, and there lay his 
diamond betrothal-ring. 

Instantly his eyes grew bright and his cheeks red, and he 
drank the bowl of soup in a single gulp; then, seeing their 
master well and hearty, Dame Jemima and the servants about 
his bed cried out joyfully, and they believed it was the soup 
that had worked this miracle, for the count had taken care that 
no one but himself should see the ring. 

“ Tell me quickly,” then cried he, “ who has prepared this 

[97] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

divine broth that puts new life into my veins and new strength 
into my limbs ? ” 

And the dame replied: 

“ It is a young maid who serves in your kitchen.” 

“ Send her to me this instant,” said Conrad, “ that I may 
thank her, for she has snatched me from the grave.” 

“ Pardon, good master,” returned the dame, “ I fear the sight 
of the wench would displease you, for she is humpbacked and 
her face and hands are smeared with soot.” 

“ Nay,” said the knight, “ do as I tell you.” 

When Gertrude entered the sick-chamber, Conrad dismissed 
his servants, for he wished to speak with the maid alone. 

“ Come hither, little maid,” said he, “ and tell me truly who 

gave you this ring that I found in the soup you prepared for 

- L 

me. 

Then Gertrude made answer modestly, with downcast eyes: 

“ Noble master, I will tell you. It was you yourself who 
gave me the ring in token of your undying love. I warned you 
to do nothing rashly. Now that you know me for what I am, 
are you still of a mind to wed with me ? ” 

At these words the knight became much disturbed. He did 
not believe that this kitchen-maid was the lovely stranger with 
whom he had danced at the ball. He suspected that the fair 
unknown had sent the girl to cure him of his passion; therefore 
he replied: 

“If you are really she I seek, and can assume once more the 
beauteous shape and fair face that haunts my memory, then 
will I keep my pledge. But if you cannot do this, then will I 
have you punished as you deserve, until you tell me how you 
came by this ring.” 

“ Alas! ” answered the maid, “ is it only a fair face and form 
you seek? Tis but a perishable thing, and, when age or ill¬ 
ness bow the back and twist the shapely limbs, when the roses 
and lilies bloom no more, and the fine skin grows wrinkled, 
what will then become of your boasted love ? ” 

Then the knight wondered that a kitchen-wench could talk 
so wisely, and said: 


[98] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Beauty wins a man’s love; but when beauty fades, then do 
virtue and wisdom keep it steadfast.” 

Thereupon he called the dame, and ordered her to lead the 
maid to her chamber that she might clothe herself cleanly and 
decently, and to watch outside her door until she should come 
forth again. 

Then he rose, dressed himself, and awaited the maid’s 
coming. 

When his patience was well-nigh spent the door opened, 
there was a rustling of silken garments, and lo! Gertrude 
stood before him in the gown she had last worn at the ball, fair 
as the morning, graceful as a fawn, with lilies and roses on 
her cheeks. 

Then was the knight beside himself with joy, and, falling 
on his knees before her, he cried: 

“ Goddess or mortal, whoever you be, behold me at your 
feet. Now shall the holiest vows unite us, if you consent to 
accept my heart and hand.” 

“ I am no goddess,” said she, “ but Gertrude, daughter of 
the brave knight Amarind. An evil fate robbed me of both 
my parents, and I was compelled to earn my bread with bitter 
tears in a strange country.” 

Then she told him all her story, hiding nothing from him— 
not even the secret of the magic ball. 

And straightway Conrad ordered the wedding-feast, and the 
lovely Gertrude became his bride. 

tuOFS. 


[99] 


Prince Hedgehog 

NCE upon a time there was an emperor and an empress 
t J who for many years had been childless. One day the 
empress wished for a son, were he no bigger than a 
hedgehog. The proverb says, “ What one wishes for, that one 
gets,” and so it was with her, for she shortly gave birth to a 
son who looked exactly like a hedgehog and was covered all 
over with sharp spines. 

Far and wide the news was spread abroad through the world, 
and the parents were much ashamed of such a son. Neverthe¬ 
less, they had him educated in all useful knowledge, and he had 
so clever a head that by the time he was fourteen he knew all 
knowledge through and through. 

By this time his parents could no longer endure him near 
them, and they assigned to him a great forest as a place of 
abode, feeling certain that he would then fall a prey to a wolf 
or a fox or some sort of a beast. They strictly commanded 
him not to return before the expiration of seven years. They 
gave him permission, however, to take with him anything that 
he especially cared for; but he would take nothing whatever 
except a sow and a great cock upon which he was wont to ride. 
With these he went away into the forest. 

Year out, year in, Prince Hedgehog remained in the forest, 
and he raised so many swine that at last they were too many 
for even him to count. Finally he thought to himself, “ My 
seven years are up; I will go back home.” So he quickly gath¬ 
ered his swine together and drove them to the city of his 
parents. 

When they perceived afar off the immense drove of swine, 
they thought, “ Here comes a wealthy swine-drover.” But 

[ IOO ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

soon they recognized their son, who was riding upon his cock 
behind the swine and making straight for the imperial castle. 
So they received him into the castle and showed him the best 
of hospitality, dividing his swine among different pens, for 
they filled every swine-pen in the city. 

While they were at table they asked their son how he en¬ 
joyed himself in the forest, and said that if he wished to go 
back there they would give him a goat this time. But he de¬ 
clared that he was not going back, for he had made up his 
mind to marry. 

The astonished parents replied, “ Why, what maiden would 
love you and take you for a husband ? ” The poor youth knew 
no answer to this question, so he mounted his cock and rode 
sadly away. 

Now the parents thought he would never come back again. 
But he was a clever fellow, and he went as a suitor to the king 
of a neighboring country who had three unmarried daughters. 

When he found himself near the city the cock flew up with 
him to the window of the room in which guests were as¬ 
sembled enjoying themselves. The cock crowed with all his 
might, until the chamberlain went to the window and 
asked what he wanted. The Hedgehog answered, “ I come 
a-wooing.” 

Then the king permitted him to come into the room, and 
offered him the welcome-cup, according to ancient manner and 
custom. Then the king again asked him what business brought 
him, and Hedgehog, the imperial prince, answered him shortly 
and to the point, “ I come a-wooing.” 

The king immediately assured him that he had only to 
choose one of the three unmarried daughters. The Hedgehog 
chose the youngest, but she would not have him for a husband 
until her father threatened to have her banished unless she 
gave a cheerful consent. 

She saw no help for it, and thought to herself: “ I can never 
get out of this scrape; come what may, I’ll take him. We have 
gold and treasure in abundance, and we shall easily get along 
through life.” 


[ IOI] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

When the Hedgehog had received her consent he went back 
to his parents and told them what had happened to him. His 
parents would not believe him, and sent the chamberlain to 
inquire if it was true that the emperor’s son, the Hedgehog, 
was to marry the king’s daughter. When the chamberlain re¬ 
turned and told the emperor that his son had spoken the truth, 
the emperor ordered his horses to be harnessed, and went with 
his wife to visit the king, riding in their carriage, while their 
son rode behind on his cock. 

When they arrived they found everything ready for the wed¬ 
ding. But, according to custom, the bridal party were obliged 
to go to the church a few days before the marriage to pray and 
confess to the priest. When the young lady came to confes¬ 
sion she asked the priest how she might manage to get rid 
of the prince and not be obliged to marry him. 

The priest gave her a sound scolding, and said in conclusion: 
“ Just keep quiet and all will end well. Mark what I say, and 
remember it well. When you are come into the church and 
are taking your place in the sacristy, do you follow close behind 
the others. When you get to the high altar sprinkle your 
bridegroom thrice with holy-water, and be careful to prick 
yourself each time with one of his spines. Then three drops 
of blood will trickle out of your hand, and you must let these 
also fall upon him.” 

After confession the bridal pair went home to breakfast. 
The next day—it was a Sunday—the bridal party went at half 
past eleven into the church, and the bride did in every respect 
as the priest had counseled. ~ 

And, behold, the Hedgehog was transformed into a beautiful 
youth whose like was not to be found in all the world. Then 
the bridal party sat down upon the benches and heard mass, 
and the priest united them and preached them a sermon how 
they should cleave to each other all their lives long. 

After that they went back to the house, and the wedding- 
feast lasted until late in the night. 


[ 102 ] 


The IVoodcutters Daughter 

r HERE was once a poor woodcutter, very miserable, 
though prudent and industrious; he had a wife and 
three grown-up sons, yet their united labors scarcely 
sufficed for bread. No hope appeared of improving his lot, 
when he was one day fortunate enough to save the life of his 
master when attacked by robbers in the forest. 

This master was not ungrateful; he desired the woodcutter 
to repair to him on the following day in order to receive a re¬ 
ward. The poor man did not fail, hoping to gain two or three 
crowns; for it appeared so natural to defend an unarmed man 
that he attached little value to his services, considering his own 
danger not worth a thought. He put on his best array, shaved, 
and made many reverences to the porter and the numerous 
lackeys previous to an introduction to the master, who was 
much more polite than the valets. 

“ Well, Thomas,” said he, “ how can I recompense what you 
have done for me? Without your assistance I should have 
perished; and as my life is a very happy one, I value it accord¬ 
ingly.” 

Poor Thomas was at a loss how to reply; he stammered out, 
“ My Lord—your Grace,” but could get no farther. 

The master, in order to relieve the poor man, interrupted 
him thus: “ I understand better than yourself, perhaps, what 
would suit you; I would not wish to draw you from your na¬ 
tive condition, for I believe that none is more truly happy; but 
I present to you and your children’s children, in perpetuity, the 
cottage which you inhabit in the forest. You and they shall 
have the power of cutting as much wood every year as you can 
use; you shall work for yourself; and if your sons like to hunt, 

[ 103] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

all the game which they kill shall be for their own use. I only 
exact that you sell nothing, and that, while possessing every 
comfort, you seek not to quit your peaceful obscurity.” 

Thomas was so astonished that he could find no words to 
express his gratitude. He came home to his wife, who heartily 
shared his joy. The sons immediately set off for a large supply 
of fagots, and made a great fire; but when they had been 
thoroughly warmed, Mother Thomas began to say what a pity 
it was that they could make no use of all the wood which 
was not burned. 

“ An idea has just struck me,” replied the husband; “ our 
master gives us all we can use; these are his own words,—very 
well; I shall be able to use enough to bring us in a pretty little 
income! ” 

“ How? ” said his wife. 

‘‘When I was a boy,” rejoined the woodcutter, “ my father 
taught me to make wooden shoes, and I made them so light 
and so neat that they were everywhere sought for. What need 
now prevent me from exercising this trade? James shall cut 
wood in the forest, Peter shall kill game for dinner, and Paul, 
who has not the least brains of the three, shall go to sell my 
merchandise at the neighboring town. This will be a public 
benefit, by enabling the poor about us to dress with more de¬ 
cency and comfort, and it will also serve to furnish our own 
cottage, of which we shall make a little palace.” 

The boys, who were present, highly relished this idea. 
Mother Thomas, who was rather inclined to gluttony, made the 
most of the game which Peter provided. A little labor, good 
cheer, a blazing fire, and perfect family concord, rendered this 
family the happiest in the world. The master came to the 
cottage, and seeing them so united and industrious, encouraged 
the trade of the wooden shoes, which increased their comforts 
without exposing them to the vices attendant on avarice and 
luxury. 

But happiness such as this seldom remains permanent. A 
flock of furious wolves appeared in the forest; every day they 
devoured either helpless children or travelers; they tore up the 

t io 4 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

roots of the trees, attacking even one another, while their wild 
howlings were heard night and day in the cottage of the wood¬ 
cutter. 

Mother Thomas would no longer suffer her boys to leave 
home; and when they did go in spite of her, she remained 
watching at the door, refusing either to eat or drink until they 
returned. 

Such a situation was deplorable; but at length the young 
men, who were very brave, resolved to deliver themselves and 
their master. Taking arms, in case they should be attacked, 
they went into the forest and dug deep pits, covering them 
with a little earth, laid over some branches of trees; and during 
this heavy labor, which lasted several days, they lighted great 
fires around them, in order to hinder the wolves from ap¬ 
proaching. 

Success crowned their enterprise, for in returning to the spot 
at sunrise, they perceived that one of the pits had been broken 
into during the night, and that it was now quite uncovered. 
They charged their muskets, and each was disputing the honor 
of first firing, when they heard issue from the depths below 
a mild and supplicating voice imploring assistance. 

“ What shall we do ? ” said Peter; “ assuredly that is not the 
roaring of a wolf; it is, perhaps, some unfortunate little wan¬ 
dering child. How lucky that we did not draw the trigger! ” 

They approached, and distinguished a beautiful lady, richly 
dressed, wearing on her head a cluster of diamonds, which 
shone like a star. She appeared very young, and was trembling 
with cold. Much rain had fallen during the night, and her 
robe, of silver gauze, was dabbled in mud and water; her fair 
and tender hands were all dirty, which seemed to vex her even 
more than the dangers she had experienced. She continued, 
however, to struggle and to make signs for relief, when three 
enormous wolves appeared at a distance. The brothers looked 
at each other expressively, like people who feel that all is lost, 
but who resolve to do their duty. They had a cord about them, 
which Peter fastened round his body, and let himself down into 
the pit. He took the beautiful lady on his shoulders, while his 

[ 105] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

brothers assisted in drawing them up. They then stretched her 
on the grass, for she had fainted; and now the wolves had just 
reached them,—when, lo! these beasts of prey were instantly 
turned into three little lambs, and licked the feet of the lady, 
who slowly returned to life. 

“ My good lads,” said she to the woodcutters, “ fear nothing. 
From henceforth no more dangerous animals than these shall 
trouble you. But I owe you a still greater recompense; lead 
me to your father; I wish to felicitate him on the generosity 
and bravery of his sons.” 

The poor youths were so astonished by this adventure that 
they felt unable to reply; but they respectfully lifted her long 
train from the ground, it having now recovered all its splendor. 

The three lambs followed, skipping and frolicking before 
them—they seemed to know the way; and Mother Thomas, 
who sat at the door looking out for her children, was not a 
little surprised to behold their companion. 

She had, however, presence of mind to invite her noble guest 
to enter and rest; much ashamed of having nothing better to 
offer than a straw chair, and some spring-water, which was in 
a very clean pitcher on the dresser. 

“ I shall willingly rest an hour with you,” said the lady. 
“ Although you now see me for the first time, I am one of your 
best friends, of which I shall give you a proof. I accept a 
glass of water, on condition that your husband and children 
will also pledge me.” 

A glance of Mother Thomas’s eye directed her family; they 
each sought their ordinary drinking-cup, which was of wood, 
and then bent the neck of the pitcher; but what was their as¬ 
tonishment to perceive the vessel turn into wrought-silver in 
their hands, and to taste, instead of water, a liquor so delicious, 
that when the woodcutter and his wife had drunk, they felt 
themselves ten years younger than before! 

They threw themselves at the feet of the beautiful lady, in 
terror; for a natural instinct made them feel that great power 
is always more or less to be dreaded, even when employed in 
acts of beneficence. The lady meanwhile kindly raised them, 

[ 1063 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and having spoken of the courage and generosity of their sons, 
who exposed themselves to the fury of wolves rather than take 
flight and abandon her, she said that her name was the Fairy 
Coquette, and that she would willingly relate her history. 

“ Previously, madam,” said the woodcutter, “ will you have 
the goodness to tell me what is a fairy? During thirty years 
that I have inhabited this forest, I have heard of the devil, of 
the Were wolf, of the monster of Gevaudan, but never have I 
heard of fairies.” 

“ We exist, notwithstanding,” replied Coquette, “ but not in 
all ages, nor in all countries. We are supernatural beings, to 
whom has been imparted a portion of supernatural power, 
which we make use of for good or evil, according to our nat¬ 
ural disposition; in that alone consists our resemblance to 
men.” 

The woodcutter, who was very simple, understood little of 
this explanation; but, like many others, had a profound respect 
for what he could not comprehend. He bowed down to the 
ground, and only requested the fairy to inform him why a 
supernatural being, so highly gifted, could have fallen into a 
pit prepared for wolves. 

“ It is,” replied Coquette, “ because I have an enemy still 
more powerful than myself, the Enchanter Barabapatapouf, 
the most wicked ogre in the world; he has but three teeth, three 
hairs, one eye, and is fifteen feet high. With all these charms 
he happened to fall in love with me, and merely for mischief I 
affected to accept him. He then invited his friends to the nup¬ 
tials ; when, to his great mortification, I took them to witness 
that I would never be the wife of such a monster. Barabapata¬ 
pouf was deeply incensed, swore to be revenged, and has never 
lost an opportunity of keeping his word. I should have re¬ 
mained three days in that horrible pit but for the generosity 
of your children.” 

“ They have done nothing more than their duty,” replied the 
woodcutter. 

“ I must also do mine,” said Coquette, “ but my power is lim¬ 
ited. I can satisfy but two wishes, and it is necessary that each 

[ 107] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

of you should choose freely, unbiased by the others. You must 
separate accordingly, and to-morrow, at early dawn, come to 
inform me what you have all resolved on during the night/’ 

Mother Thomas was very uneasy in thinking how she could 
accommodate the fairy, for neither her children’s beds nor her 
own were worthy of offering'to such a grand lady; but Co¬ 
quette desired her to feel at ease, as she would provide every¬ 
thing needful. She then drew forth some grains of sand, 
which she scattered on the floor. Instantly there arose on the 
spot a bed of rose-leaves three feet high; the bolster was of 
violets, heartsease and orange flowers, all breathing delicious 
perfumes; and the counterpane, entirely composed of butter¬ 
flies’ wings, exhibited colors so brilliant and varied that one 
could never be weary of examining it. The three lambs which 
had followed the fairy lay down at her feet, and as the room 
was rather damp, they gently warmed it with their breath, with 
a care and intelligence almost human. The woodcutter and 
his sons felt so surprised at all these wonders that they 
imagined themselves dreaming. Coquette warned Mother 
Thomas that if she should speak once to her husband before 
she again saw her, the wishes could not be realized. The strict¬ 
est injunctions were indeed necessary to prevent their commu¬ 
nicating on a subject which interested both so deeply. When 
day appeared, Coquette summoned them to her presence. 

The woodcutter first came, and said, with his usual simplic¬ 
ity, that he never could have believed it so difficult to form a 
wish. Till that moment he had considered himself happy, but 
now finding it possible to obtain one thing, he desired a thou¬ 
sand. Wearied with the fatigue of thought, he had fallen 
asleep without coming to a determination; but seeing in his 
dreams five purses filled with gold, it seemed as if one were 
for him, one for his wife, and one for each of his children. 

“ Well,” said the Coquette, “ these purses are apparently 
your desire; go then to the bin where you deposit your bread, 
and you will find them. Only say how many pounds you wish 
them to contain.” 

“ Oh, if there were but a hundred pounds in each,” replied 

[108] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Thomas, “ that would be sufficient to extend our little com¬ 
merce, and send our wooden shoes to China itself.” 

“ Your wish is accomplished,” said the fairy; “ go away, 
and permit your wife to come in her turn.” 

The good dame had also passed a sleepless night, and had 
never before been so much agitated or so unhappy; sometimes 
she wished for riches, and then thought riches would not pre¬ 
vent her from dying—so she had better wish that she might 
live a hundred years. Now one idea filled her mind, now an¬ 
other; it seemed as if the fairy should have given her at least 
a month to deliberate. At last she suddenly said: “ Madam 
Fairy, I am very old, and what I desire most is a daughter, to 
assist me in household management and to keep me company; 
my husband almost lives in the woods and leaves me at break 
- of day; my sons also go about their business; we are without 
neighbors, and I have nobody to speak to.” 

“ Be it so,” said the fairy; “ you shall have the prettiest 
daughter imaginable, and she shall speak from her birth, in 
order that no time may be lost. Call your husband and sons; 
I hope to find all parties content.” 

The little family assembled, but harmony was not the result 
of their communications. The young men thought their 
father’s wish quite pitiful, and the woodcutter by no means 
relished the idea of another child. The fairy, however, pro¬ 
vided an excellent breakfast, and the wine reanimated his 
spirits. 

“ Now I promise,” said Coquette, “ that you shall have a 
daughter, who at the moment of her birth will be endowed with 
the figure and the intelligence of twelve years old. Call her 
Rose, for her complexion shall shame the flower which bears 
that name.” 

“ And I pronounce that she shall also be as black as ebony, 
and become, before the age of fifteen, the wife of a great king,” 
said a very strong voice in clear and distinct accents, accom¬ 
panied by shouts of laughter, which evidently proceeded from 
a great pitcher placed at the corner of the chimney. 

The Fairy Coquette turned pale, and consternation was gen- 

[ 109] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

eral; but the woodcutter, now merry with wine, joined in the 
laugh. “ Ah! how droll,” said he, “ red and black roses! A 
likely story, indeed, that a great king would come a-wooing to 
a woodcutter’s daughter! Only a pitcher could invent such 
nonsense, and I shall teach it to utter no more.” 

Thus saying, he gave the pitcher a great kick and broke it 
in pieces; when there issued from it a smoke thick and black, 
and so stifling that Coquette was obliged to use two bottles of 
essence to dissipate its noxious effects. 

“ Ah, cruel Barabapatapouf! ” cried she, “ must your malig¬ 
nity then extend even to those whom I wish to benefit ? I in¬ 
deed recognize my enemy,” said she to the woodcutter; “ be¬ 
ware of him, and believe that it is with no good intention he 
destines your daughter for the bride of a king. Some mystery 
is here concealed, foreboding evil.” 

Every one was rendered quite melancholy by this adventure, 
and Coquette, beginning to weary of these poor foresters, 
opened the window and disappeared. 

A great quarrel then arose between the woodcutter and his 
sons, who, forgetting that respect in which they had never 
before failed, reproached him for losing an opportunity of ren¬ 
dering them all happy. “We might,” said they, “ have pur¬ 
chased estates, finery of all kinds, and been as rich and noble 
as many who now despise us. One or two millions would have 
been as easily said as five hundred pounds; that sum would 
obtain a marquisate for my father, and baronies for each of 
us. What extraordinary stupidity our parents have shown in 
this matter! ” 

“ My children,” said the woodcutter, “ are these things, then, 
necessary for happiness ? It appeared to me that you were well 
satisfied when our master only made our poverty a little less 
oppressive; and now, while you have more gold than you ever 
saw in your lives, one would suppose that you had been deeply 
injured, and could never know contentment more.” 

As for Mother Thomas, she was wiser, and so well pleased 
with the idea of her daughter that her imagination roamed no 
farther. In course of time she gave birth to an infant; but 

[ IIO] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

scarcely had it seen the light than it glided from her arms, and 
started up to the stature of a well-formed girl of twelve or 
thirteen years old, who made a low courtesy to the woodcutter, 
kissed the hand of her mother, and offered her brothers a cor¬ 
dial embrace. But these lads ill-naturedly repulsed the young 
stranger; they felt jealous, fearing that she would now be pre¬ 
ferred to them. 

Rose, one might say, was born dressed, for flowing ringlets 
fell around her shoulders, forming a complete covering; and 
with her increase of size appeared a little smart petticoat and 
brown bodice in peasant fashion. Her delicate feet were clad 
in wooden shoes, but both the foot and the shoe were so 
shapely that any lady in the land might have been proud to 
exhibit them. Her little plump hand was so white that it 
hardly appeared formed for rustic labors, yet she immediately 
prepared to assist in household matters, and the poor old dame 
was never weary of caressing such a charming child. 

A bed was prepared for Rose beside her mother. This good 
girl arose at dawn to prepare the young men’s breakfast; for 
she had an excellent natural disposition, and so much intelli¬ 
gence that she seemed to know by instinct that her birth was 
displeasing to them, and sought to gain their regard by good- 
natured attentions. 

Mother Thomas soon rose likewise, and returned to the 
kitchen. But what was her horror on beholding her daughter’s 
face black as ebony, her hair woolly and crisped like a negro’s! 
As there was no mirror in the cottage, Rose could not under¬ 
stand what had so alarmed her mother; she asked if she had 
involuntarily had the misfortune to give offense ? 

“ No, no,” said the old dame, weeping; “ shouldst thou re¬ 
main all thy life as black as ink, I shall not love thee less; but 
I cannot without pain recall thy beauties of yesterday. Thou 
wilt be laughed at; and us too. Still, we will keep thee—thou 
must never leave us.” 

Rose readily promised she never would. But when her 
brothers returned, they considered the change in her quite as a 
matter of course. They recollected the prediction of the 

[in] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

pitcher, and seemed quite delighted to think that, since it was 
fulfilled in the first instance, they might yet become the broth¬ 
ers of a queen. 

Meanwhile they lived on better terms with Rose, hoping that 
one day she might be of service to them. Far from listening 
to the counsels of their father, they endeavored to awaken in 
her mind the seeds of ambition; and in order to further views 
interested and selfish, flattered her beauty, her talents, and her 
sense, rendering the future queen the most respectful homage, 
which diverted her exceedingly. 

But, strange to say, Rose was not always black; every sec¬ 
ond day she recovered her natural beauty, from whence it 
might be concluded that the influence of the fairy and the 
Enchanter Barabapatapouf operated alternately. * The wood¬ 
cutter’s family grew gradually accustomed to these succes¬ 
sions; and as habit reconciles people to all things, each color 
became indifferent to them. 

Thomas was too old to change his mode of life; he would 
not hear of going to live in town, although they had money 
sufficient for that purpose; he also still continued the making 
of wooden shoes. Those which Rose wore in winter were 
trimmed with lamb’s wool, which she wrought very dexter¬ 
ously ; she was clever and ingenious, but, it must be confessed, 
a little imperious; and was sometimes surprised sighing like a 
person indulging in visionary wishes, and languishing under 
some secret chagrin. 

A year passed: Rose grew tall, and her brothers, weary of 
waiting for an event so uncertain as her marriage with a king, 
executed a crime which they had long meditated. Seeing that 
their father had touched but one of the purses, they easily ob¬ 
tained possession of the rest, and rising with the dawn, all 
three departed, saying, to satisfy their consciences, that these 
purses must be finally theirs, and that they would, meanwhile, 
turn them to advantage. When they should become very rich, 
they would come back to their parents and take care of their 
latter days. Each of them made a belt, in which he concealed 
his gold; and with perfect concord, more frequently found 

[ 112] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

among knaves than honest men, they traveled a hundred 
leagues in eight days. 

The woodcutter and his wife did not at first comprehend the 
extent of their misfortune. They thought their children must 
have gone astray in the forest, and the old man wandered 
everywhere in search of them. But when he observed the loss 
of the purses, the truth was revealed, and he felt ready to die 
with grief. “ Cursed gold ! ” cried he, “ thou hast corrupted 
my brave and honest boys; they were poor, but virtuous; they 
are now become villains, and will meet punishment from either 
man or God! ” 

Thus saying, he took the remaining purse, and flung it into 
the bottom of a well. Mother Thomas was vexed, but dared 
not speak, for the unfortunate man was so much irritated and 
troubled that he would have beaten her. 

When his reason cleared a little, however, he felt that he had 
committed an error in parting with his money, they being both 
old and unable to work as formerly. The dame sold some arti¬ 
cles which had been purchased during their prosperity. But 
poverty was nothing; it was the conduct of their sons which 
inflicted the bitter sting. How was this then augmented, when 
some officers of justice arrived, and announced that James, 
Peter, and Paul had been arrested. It seemed that while drink¬ 
ing together in a public-house, they had spread on a table all 
their gold. The host surprised them, and not believing that 
young peasants, so coarsely clothed and wearing wooden shoes, 
could lawfully be in possession of such a sum, he had given 
them in charge. The poor boys, quite terrified, related the 
story of the Fairy Coquette; but as the magistrate had never 
seen a fairy, he did not believe one word of their fanciful 
narrative. 

Having then no hope but in the kindness of their father, they 
sent to summon the woodcutter and his wife, who confirmed 
all their assertions. But as no money was found in the cottage, 
whose inhabitants appeared to subsist on their labor, the officers 
knew not what to think. 

Meantime they arrested the woodcutter for the purpose of 

1113] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

identifying his children. Pale, and trembling like criminals, 
the old couple followed the guards. Mother Thomas was ready 
to faint, and doubly grieved for leaving poor Rose all alone, 
especially as this was her day for being white and beautiful. 
She begged her not to leave the house, but to live on the milk 
of her goats, and to bake cakes of some meal which was in the 
bin. Their adieus were heart-rending; although the soldiers 
declared that in three days the forester should be at liberty to 
return, provided the innocence of his family was established. 
Rose believed them, and endeavored to take courage. But 
more than a month passed, and no tidings of her parents. She 
could not then prevent herself from wandering a little on the 
highway; and having walked till sunset, wept so bitterly, that 
her beauty indeed must have been a fairy-gift to remain unin¬ 
jured. 

One evening, being more worn out than usual, she seated 
herself at the foot of a tree and fell asleep. A slight noise 
awoke her, and, on looking up, she perceived a young gentle¬ 
man richly dressed, who was contemplating her with evident 
astonishment. “ Art thou a goddess, or a simple mortal ? ” 
cried he. 

“ Sir,” replied Rose, “ I am the daughter of a poor wood¬ 
cutter, who lives in the forest; it is late, and I beg you will 
not detain me.” 

“ You are a wayward beauty, indeed! ” replied the prince, 
for so he was; “ but as my way lies in that direction, I hope 
you will permit me to see you home.” 

“ It is not in my power to prevent you,” said Rose, without 
raising her eyes. 

The prince at this moment remarked that she had been weep¬ 
ing, and, delighted to have an opportunity of offering sympa¬ 
thy and consolation, entreated her to impart her grief to him. 
“ I am not actuated by mere curiosity,” added he; “ I never can 
behold a woman in tears without feeling moved to the bottom 
of my soul! Tell me your distress, and I will neither sleep nor 
eat till I have aided you.” 

Rose timidly raised her lovely blue eyes, to see whether the 

[ 114] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

countenance of the prince harmonized with his discourse; but 
although he was not actually ugly, his features wore an ex¬ 
pression too stern and hypocritical to invite her confidence. 
She therefore walked silently forward, and when near the cot¬ 
tage felt so uneasy that, for the first time, she invented a lie in 
order to get rid of him. “ You seem to compassionate my sor¬ 
rows,” said she; “ meanwhile you only increase them. When 
my mother sees me accompanied by a great gentleman like you, 
she will beat me, and not believe that you have followed me 
against my will.” 

This reasoning appeared so just to the prince, who felt him¬ 
self afifected by a passion such as he had never before experi¬ 
enced, that he consented to retire, entreating Rose to meet him 
the next evening at the same hour. She refused to give a de¬ 
cisive answer, and returned home much dejected, recalling all 
the words of the stranger, and almost reproaching herself for 
having behaved so harshly to him. 

The following day Rose took mechanically the same route, 
going always in the path by which her parents might be ex¬ 
pected. Her provisions being nearly exhausted, she feared to 
die of hunger, and began to think that this gentleman, who had 
been repulsed so rudely, could, perhaps, obtain news of her 
family. Suddenly beholding him leaning against a tree, look¬ 
ing very melancholy and dejected, she threw herself at his feet, 
bathed in tears, and said: 

“ Sir, a wretch who has lost everything dear, supplicates 
your compassion. You are so kind—so tender-hearted-” 

“ What does the vile creature want ? ” exclaimed the prince, 
with a savage expression. “ How dare you have the imperti¬ 
nence to address me ? I wonder what prevents me from shoot¬ 
ing you? I lost my sport all yesterday in following a pretty 
girl; here is game of a new description.” 

Rose started up, overwhelmed with terror, while the prince 
laughed most brutally. It was not till that moment she recol¬ 
lected that this was her black day, which accounted for his not 
recognizing her. “ Ah! ” thought she, “ this is the humane 
man who could not behold a woman weep; because my color 

[ns] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

displeases him, he is ready to take my life. No hope now re¬ 
mains for me—my misfortunes are at their height! ” 

Rose wept all night; yet she could not prevent herself from 
returning to the same spot on the following day; she felt irre¬ 
sistibly led thither, dreading, and yet wishing, to meet the 
prince. 

He had been already waiting above an hour, and accosted 
her with a degree of respect quite unusual for him; but he was 
in love, and love makes the worst of people better for the time. 

“ Cruel beauty! ” said he, in a courtier-like style, to which 
Rose was little accustomed, “ what have I not suffered during 
your absence! I even remained all night in the wood, in ex¬ 
pectation of you, and the queen my mother despatched messen¬ 
gers everywhere, fearing some accident had befallen me.” 

“ The queen, your mother! ” exclaimed Rose. “ Are you, 
then, the son of a queen ? ” 

“ I have betrayed myself! ” said the prince, striking his fore¬ 
head in a theatrical manner. “ Yes, it is true, I have that mis¬ 
fortune. You will now fear me; and what we fear we never 
love.” 

“ The wicked alone are to be feared,” answered Rose. “ I 
am very glad to hear that you are a king, for I know that you 
will be my husband.” 

The prince, who little guessed the enchanter's communica¬ 
tion, was confounded by the unembarrassed freedom of her 
manner; but it was far from displeasing to him. “You are 
ambitious,” said he, smiling; “ but there is nothing to which 
beauty may not pretend. Tell me only how I can have the hap¬ 
piness of serving you, and you shall see that everything is pos¬ 
sible to love.” 

Rose sat down on the grass, and related in very simple terms 
the story of the purse; confessed that she had deceived him, 
and that, so far from being severely treated at home, she was 
now weeping her mother’s loss; that the king must take meas¬ 
ures for the discovery and liberation of her family, before he 
could hope to win her affections, or pretend to her hand. 

The enamored monarch vowed he would not lose a moment; 
[ 116 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and although she behaved with much dignity, her every word 
and look was adorable in his eyes. Rose thought all night of 
the fine fortune of being a queen; she would then no longer 
wear wooden shoes; and, above all, might have an opportunity 
of being useful to her dear parents. 

These meetings continued every alternate day during a 
week; and the queen dowager was informed that her son neg¬ 
lected all business, and thought of nothing but making love. 
She was in despair. This prince was surnamed the Terrible, 
by reason of his ferocity to women: till that moment he had 
never loved, but he had frequently made pretense of it, and 
when successful, it was not unusual with him to cut out the 
poor ladies’ tongues, put out their eyes, or even throw them 
into the sea. The least pretext sufficed for this; and the queen, 
who was of a kind disposition, lamented that yet another vic¬ 
tim was preparing. The courtiers begged her to be tranquil; 
said it was nothing more than the daughter of a poor woodcut¬ 
ter whom his majesty now admired, and that if he did kill her, 
it would be of little consequence. 

But the courtiers, and the queen dowager herself, were alto¬ 
gether bewildered when the king, having liberated the wood¬ 
cutter and his family, brought Rose to the palace as his wife. 
She was not at all abashed or out of countenance; she behaved 
with the utmost respect to the queen, and with affability to all. 
It was universally remarked: “ The king has committed a folly, 
but that charming girl is his excuse, and no man would have 
been wiser under similar circumstances.” 

A grand ball was given in the evening. Rose danced well 
enough for a queen; and she yielded herself up entirely to the 
enchantment of such a happy day. The prince, ever eager to 
be near her, was figuring away in a quadrille, when twelve 
o’clock struck: great, then, was his astonishment, when, gazing 
passionately on his partner, he beheld—a negress! 

“ What metamorphosis is this ? ” cried he, rudely seizing her 
arm; “ where is the princess I married to-day ? ” 

Rose bent her head in confusion; it still bore her diamonds 
and her crown,—no doubt could exist of her identity. 

[ ii 7 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Wretched, hideous black, thou shalt surely die! ” cried the 
king; “ none shall deceive me with impunity.” He then drew 
a poniard and was preparing to take instant vengeance, when, 
recollecting himself—“ I do thee too much honor,” said he; 
“ rather let my cooks cut thee in pieces to make a hash for my 
hounds.” 

The old queen, as humane as her son was cruel, knew there 
was but one means of saving the unfortunate victim; this was 
to appear still more enraged than the king. 

“I truly feel this injury,” said she; “sometimes you have 
reproached my weakness, but now behold a proof that I also 
can avenge. Your orders must be strictly fulfilled—I myself 
shall witness the execution.” She then signed to the guards 
to lay hold of the unfortunate Rose, who was dragged away by 
an iron chain fastened round her neck. She gave herself up 
for lost, and uttering the most heart-rending cries, was led 
away to a pigeon-house at the end of the palace, furnished with 
some clean straw where, however, the queen promised to come 
on the following day. 

Her majesty kept her word. Much affected by the sweetness 
of the hapless bride, she promised to mitigate, as far as pos¬ 
sible, her melancholy situation. 

Rose, very grateful, supplicated her benefactress to inform 
the woodcutter’s family that she was still alive, knowing what 
they would suffer should the story reach them of the black 
Rose having breakfasted the king’s hounds. The queen prom¬ 
ised to employ a confidential domestic; and Rose, who had still 
preserved her wooden shoes, sent one, that her father might 
recognize his handiwork. 

A few days afterward a young peasant arrived from the cot¬ 
tage; he brought some cakes and cheese, made by Mother 
Thomas, which Rose preferred to all the delicacies of the 
palace. 

This young peasant, who was named Mirto, related to Rose 
everything concerning her dear parents, and took back very 
loving messages from her to them. 

Mirto found so much pleasure in conversing with the fair 

[u8] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

prisoner, and had so often cakes to carry, that they were sel¬ 
dom asunder. He said he was an orphan, and having some 
work to do in the prison where Thomas had been confined, 
there formed a friendship with the family. In return for some 
little services then rendered them, he desired to learn the trade 
of the wooden shoes; being very ingenious, he became a valu¬ 
able acquisition. He never had felt so happy before. In truth, 
he was not aware that this happiness received its date from the 
hour in which he first saw Rose. 

Alas! the poor Rose was only too sensible of his affection, 
and feeling the duty of struggling against it, found herself 
still more miserable than before. 

“ Whatever may be the conduct of Prince Terrible,” said she 
to herself, “ I have married him. It is certainly very hard to 
love a husband who wished to kill me, but still I should not 
permit myself to love another.” 

For a whole month following she had sufficient resolution to 
see Mirto no more, and was becoming sick with chagrin and 
weariness. The queen visited her frequently, bringing all sorts 
of sweetmeats, and a singing-bird, to divert her captivity. She 
brought no finery; indeed, that would have been quite thrown 
away on the pigeons. 

At length, one day Rose heard a great noise in the palace. 
People kept running to and fro—all the bells were rung, and 
all the cannons fired. The poor prisoner mounted up to one 
of the pigeon-holes, and peeping through, perceived the palace 
hung with black. She knew not what to think. But some one 
of the queen’s officers appeared, and conducted her in due form 
to the court. Rose, all trembling, inquired what had happened. 

“Your majesty is a widow,” replied the officer; “the king 
has been killed in hunting; here are your weeds, of which the 
queen begs your acceptance.” 

Rose was much agitated, but she followed the officer in si¬ 
lence, with a sad and serious aspect, as a dignified personage 
should do when informed of the death of a husband. 

The queen was a tender mother, and although fully con¬ 
scious of the ferocious disposition of her son, she deeply la- 

[ 119] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

mented him, and wept bitterly on embracing her daughter- 
in-law. “Your husband is no more,” said she; “forget his 
errors, my dear child; the remainder of my life shall be devoted 
to making atonement for them.” 

The princess threw herself at her benefactress’s feet, and de¬ 
clared all was forgotten. “ If your majesty deigns to permit 
me to speak candidly,” added she, “ and will bestow a mo¬ 
ment’s attention, I shall confess the dearest wishes of my 
heart! ” 

“ Speak,” said the queen; “ nothing now can assuage my 
grief save an opportunity of proving to you my friendship.” 

“ I was not born for a queen,” continued Rose. “ My 
mother is a poor forester, but she has been a tender parent, and 
weeps incessantly for my absence.” 

“ Let her be conducted hither,” replied the queen. 

“ This is not all, madam,” continued Rose; “ I confess that I 
love a young peasant, who has assisted my father to make 
wooden shoes. If I were the wife of Mirto, and your majesty 
would have the goodness to give some assistance to my family, 
my old father might be freed from labor, and I be the happiest 
woman in the world.” 

The queen embraced Rose, and promised all she wished. 
She then conducted her to the forest; and just as they had 
reached its boundary, they perceived in the air a mahogany car, 
mounted on wheels of mother-of-pearl; two pretty white lambs 
were yoked to it, which Rose immediately recognized as those 
of the Fairy Coquette. 

The car descended, and the fairy alighting thus addressed 
the queen: “ Madam, I come to seek my child, and am de¬ 
lighted to find you willing to part with her, for she has a lover 
whom I approve; who loves her faithfully, though hopelessly, 
which is a thing more rare than all the treasures of your maj¬ 
esty’s crown.” 

The fairy then addressing herself to Rose, related that her 
enemy, the Enchanter Barabapatapouf, had just been killed in 
combat with another giant. “ Now,” added Coquette, “ I have 
full power to render you happy ”; and passing her fair hand 

[ i2 °i 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

over Rose’s face, the negro color and features vanished—to re¬ 
appear no more. 

The queen, convinced that her daughter-in-law required 
nothing further, offered only her portrait, as a token of esteem 
and friendship. Rose received it with grateful respect, then as¬ 
cended the fairy’s car, and was in a few minutes surrounded 
by the foresters, who never wearied of caressing her. Poor 
Mirto drew back, trembling, not knowing whether to hope or 
fear; but Coquette, perceiving their mutual embarrassment, de¬ 
clared that she had ordained this marriage from the very be¬ 
ginning. She blessed them, gave them a flock of beautiful 
white sheep, a cottage covered with honeysuckles and roses, 
a lovely garden abounding with fruits and flowers, and a mod¬ 
erate sum of money; endowing them also with life for a hun¬ 
dred years, uninterrupted health, and constant love. 


[ 121 ] 


The White Dove 



KING had two sons. They were a couple of mad¬ 


caps, who had always some frolic on hand. One day 


JL they rowed out to sea in a little boat all by them¬ 
selves. It was beautiful weather when they started, but they 
had no sooner got some little distance from the land than 
a terrific storm arose. Overboard went the oars, the little 
boat tossed about like a nutshell on the rolling billows, and 
the princes were forced to hold on to the seats to prevent 
themselves from being washed overboard too. 

Just then a curious kind of boat came alongside, and that 
was a kneading-trough, in which sat an old woman. She 
called to them, saying they might reach land safely yet, if 
they would just promise to give her their baby brother. 

“ We can’t do that,” replied the princes, “ because we 
haven’t got a baby brother.” 

“ Well, if ever you have one, then,” said the old woman. 

“We can’t do that either; mother would never consent to 
that” said the princes. 

“ Then you may go to the bottom of the sea, and stop there, 
the two of you! ” cried the old woman. “ But it is just possi¬ 
ble that your mother might prefer keeping the two sons she 
has already; besides, you may never have a baby brother 


at all!” 


So she rowed away in her kneading-trough; but the storm 
howled louder than before, and the water washed into the boat 
so fast that it was on the point of sinking. 

Then the princes bethought themselves there certainly was 
something in what the old woman had said about their mother, 
and they were also anxious to save their own lives, so they 


t 122] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

called to the old woman, promising that it should be as she 
wished. 

In a moment the storm ceased, the waves went down, the 
boat drifted to land just in front of their father’s castle, and the 
two princes got safely home, and were received with open 
arms by their father and mother, who had been in a great 
fright about them. 

The brothers, however, said not one word about the promise 
they had made. But one day a baby brother did arrive; 
still they told no one of what they had done. 

Now this new brother was a most beautiful child, and his 
mother loved him beyond everything else in the world; he 
grew up to be a handsome young man, and his brothers had 
never seen or heard anything more of the old witch. 

Well, one evening there arose a fearful storm, and a thick 
fog came on, and it was quite dark. The storm howled and 
roared round the king’s castle, and presently there came a 
loud knocking at the door of the room where the young prince 
was. He went to the door, and there stood an old woman, 
with a kneading-trough slung across her back. She told him 
he must come with her directly. His brothers had promised to 
give him to her if she would save their lives; and although 
it happened a long, long time ago, still a promise was a 
promise. 

“ As you saved my brothers’ lives, and as they promised 
me to you for that reason, I will go with you,” said the prince. 

So they went down to the shore together, and he took his 
place in the kneading-trough with the witch, and she sailed 
away with him over the sea to her own home. 

And now the prince was in the power of the old witch, and 
became her servant. The first thing she set him to do was to 
sort feathers. 

“ You see this heap of feathers,” she said; “ you must have 
those ready by the time I come back this evening, or I shall 
set you a harder task still.” 

So he sat himself down by the heap of feathers, and picked 
and sorted until there was only one feather left that he had not 

[ 123] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

sorted. Then came a whirlwind at that very moment, and 
whirled all the feathers round and round and swept them on 
to the floor in a heap, where they lay, looking as if they had 
been pressed together and stamped down. So he had to begin 
his work all over again; and now there was only an hour till 
the evening, when the old witch was expected home, and he 
saw that it was impossible for him to finish in time. 

Just then he heard something tapping at the window-pane, 
and a soft voice that said: 

“ Let me in, and I will help you.” 

It was a white dove that spoke, sitting outside on the 
window-ledge, tapping with its beak against the window-pane. 

He opened the window, and the dove came in, and set to 
work at once, picking out each feather with its beak. And 
in an hour’s time there lay all the feathers sorted as neatly 
as possible; and the dove flew out of the window as the witch 
came in at the door. 

“ See now,” said the old woman, “ that is really more than 
I should have given you credit for. You have sorted the 
feathers very neatly. What nimble fingers, too, for a prince 
to have!” 

Next morning the witch said to the prince: 

“ To-day you shall have an easy task. Just outside the 
door here I have a little bundle of firewood lying. You shall 
chop that up into small kindling pieces for me to light the 
fires with. That is soon done, but it must be finished by the 
time I come home.” 

The prince took a little ax and set to work at once. He 
chopped and he chipped, and it seemed to him he was getting 
through his task very quickly; but the day was drawing on, 
and it was now long past noon, and yet he was not near 
finishing. The bundle of firewood kept getting bigger and 
bigger, in spite of all he took from it. So he wiped the 
perspiration from his brow, and then let his hands fall to his 
side, feeling very dejected and uneasy in his mind, for he 
knew it would go ill with him if he had not finished his task 
by the time the witch came home. 

1124 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Then the white dove came flying toward him, alighted on 
on the bundle of firewood, and cooed and said: 

“ Shall I help you?” 

“ Yes, do! and thank you for the help you gave me yester¬ 
day, and for that you offer me now,” said the prince. 

Then the little dove seized one piece of wood after another, 
and chopped and split it with its beak. 

The prince could scarcely take the wood as fast as the dove 
chopped it. And very soon all the firewood was split up into 
quite small kindling pieces. 

Then the dove flew up and perched upon his shoulder, and 
the prince thanked it, and stroked it, and smoothed its white 
feathers, and then he kissed its little red beak. The next 
moment it was no longer a dove, but a young and beautiful 
maiden standing by his side. 

She then told him that she was a princess, whom the witch 
had stolen, or obtained in the same way she had got posses¬ 
sion of him, and whom she had enchanted. But with his kiss 
she had received her natural form again, and if he would be 
true to her and take her' for his wife, she would be able to free 
both herself and him from the power of the witch. 

The prince was completely captivated with the beautiful 
princess, and was willing to do anything, whatever it might 
be, in order to win her. So she said to him: 

“ Well, then, when the witch comes home, you must beg 
her to grant you one wish, as you have so well performed all 
that she gave you to do. And when she says ‘ Yes/ you must 
ask her to give you the princess she has on her estate, and 
who is now flying about in the form of a white dove. But now 
you must first of all take a red silken thread and bind it round 
my little finger, that you may always know me again, in any 
shape that the old witch may change me into.” 

The prince immediately bound a red silken thread round 
the little white finger, and in a moment the princess was a 
dove again, and flew away, and directly afterward the old 
witch came home with her kneading-trough slung across her 
back. 


[ 125] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Now I must say you are quick at your work,” said she; 
“ and that is something such princely hands are not much 
accustomed to.” 

So the prince said: 

“ Since you are so well pleased with my work, no doubt 
you will grant me a little favor, and give me something I 
should very much like to have.” 

“ Well, really,” said the witch, hesitating; “ but what is it 
now you want to have?” 

“ I want to have the princess who is here on this estate, 
and who is changed into a white dove,” said the prince. 

“What nonsense!” cried the old woman. “What put it 
into your head to imagine that there are any princesses here 
flying about in the form of white doves? But if it is a princess 
that you want, you may take one of those we have here, such 
as they are! ” 

And then she went out, and came back dragging with her 
a shaggy little gray donkey, with long ears. 

“ Will you have this one? ” said she. “ It is the only prin¬ 
cess you will get here.” 

The prince made good use of his eyes, and so he espied a 
red silken thread round one of the donkey’s hoofs; and then 
he said: 

“ Yes, I will take that one.” 

“ Now what could you do with it? ” asked the witch. 

“ I could ride it,” replied the prince. 

“ Ah! yes, just you do that! ” said she, and off she went, 
dragging the donkey with her. 

“What have you done with my donkey?” said the prince; 
“ it is my donkey, and I will have it.” 

“Oh, certainly!” answered the witch, who now returned, 
dragging with her an old woman, wrinkled, toothless, and 
palsied. “You can’t have any other princess; will you 
take her? ” 

“ Yes, I will,” said the prince, for he saw his red silken 
thread round the old woman’s finger. 

Then the old witch was furious, and she rushed about 
[126] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

smashing everything she could lay her hands upon, so that 
the broken pieces flew about the ears of the prince and the 
princess, who was now standing there, her own beautiful self 
once more. 

Then came the wedding, for the witch was forced to keep 
her promise. So the prince was to have the princess, come 
what might. 

And the princess said to him: 

“ Now at the marriage-feast you may eat anything you 
please, but you must not drink anything at all, for if you 
do, you will straightway forget me.” 

But on the wedding-day the prince had forgotten all about 
the warning, and he stretched out his hand and took a goblet 
of wine. 

The princess, however, was on the watch, and gave him a 
nudge with her elbow, and all the wine was spilled on the 
tablecloth. 

Then up jumped the witch, just as she had done the first 
time they outwitted her, and she smashed all the dishes and 
cups and cans, so that the bits whizzed about their ears. 

Then they were conducted to the bridal chamber, and the 
door was locked. And the princess said: 

“ Now the witch has kept her word, but she will do nothing 
more of her own free will to help us, and we must get away 
as fast as we can. I will put these two sticks in the bed, and 
they shall answer for us when the witch calls to us. Now 
you must take the flower-pot and the glass of water that are 
standing on the window-sill, and then we must slip out and 
see about making our escape.” 

So said, so done. They made haste and got off under cover 
of the darkness and the princess led the way, for she knew 
the road, which she spied out when she was flying about in 
the form of a dove. 

About midnight the old witch came to the door of the 
bridal chamber and called. The two sticks answered, so she 
thought the prince and princess were there, and she went 
away again. 


[ 127] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Before daylight the witch was at the door again calling to 
them, and again the sticks answered for them; so then she 
thought she had the prince and princess safe. 

“ At sunrise,” said she, “ I will wreak my vengeance upon 
them both.” 

So with the first ray of sunlight the old witch burst into 
the room, but she found no prince and no princess—nothing 
but two pieces of stick lying in the bed, and they never 
breathed a word, they only stared. So she dashed them to 
the floor, and they split up into thousands of bits, and she 
rushed off after the runaways. 

With the first ray of sunlight the princess said to the 
prince: 

“ Look back. Do you see anything behind us?” 

“ Yes, I see a dark cloud a long way off,” said he. 

“ Throw the flower-pot back over your head,” said the 
princess. 

And when that was done there stood a great thick wood 
behind them. 

When the witch came to the wood she could not get 
through till she had gone home again and fetched her ax 
with which to cut her way through. 

Soon after that the princess said again to the prince: 

“ Look back. Do you see anything behind us?” 

“Yes,” said the prince, “there is that great black cloud 
again.” 

“ Throw the glass of water over your head,” said the 
princess. 

And he did so, and there lay a great lake behind them. 
The witch could not get across that till she had run home 
again and fetched her kneading-trough. 

Meantime the fugitives had reached the castle where the 
prince used to live. They clambered over the garden wall, 
and ran straight through the garden, and crept in through 
an open window. But the witch was close behind them. 

Then the princess seated herself at the window, and blew 
upon the witch, and, as she blew, hundreds of white doves 

[128] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

flew out of her mouth, and they fluttered and whirred round 
the witch’s head till she got into such a fury that she turned 
to flint, and there she lies now in the shape of a great block 
of flint in front of the window. 

But in the castle there was great joy over the prince and 
his bride. And his two elder brothers came and knelt down be¬ 
fore him and confessed their sin. He alone should now in¬ 
herit the kingdom and the crown, and they would be his 
faithful subjects. 


1129] 


Rosanella 


J —EVERYBODY knows that though the fairies live hun- 
rj dreds of years they do sometimes die, and especially 

JL _ A as they are obliged to pass one day in every week 

under the form of some animal, when, of course, they are liable 
to accident. It was in this way that death once overtook the 
queen of the fairies, and it became necessary to call a general 
assembly to elect a new sovereign. After much discussion, it 
appeared that the choice lay between two fairies, one called 
Surcantine and the other Paridamie; and their claims were so 
equal that it was impossible without injustice to prefer one to 
the other. Under these circumstances it was unanimously de¬ 
cided that whichever of the two could show to the world the 
greatest wonder should be queen; but it was to be a special kind 
of wonder—no moving of mountains or any such common fairy 
tricks would do. Surcantine, therefore, resolved that she 
would bring up a prince whom nothing could make constant, 
while Paridamie decided to display to admiring mortals a prin¬ 
cess so charming that no one could see her without falling in 
love with her. They were allowed to take their own time, and 
meanwhile the four oldest fairies were to attend to the affairs 
of the kingdom. 

Now, Paridamie had for a long time been very friendly with 
King Bardondon, who was a most accomplished prince and 
whose court was the model of what a court should be. His 
queen, Balanice, was also charming; indeed, it is rare to find 
a husband and wife so perfectly of one mind about everything. 
They had one little daughter, whom they had named Rosanella 
because she had a little pink rose printed upon her white throat. 
From her earliest infancy she had shown the most astonishing 

[ 130] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

intelligence, and the courtiers knew her smart sayings by heart 
and repeated them on all occasions. In the middle of the night 
following the assembly of fairies Queen Balanice woke up with 
a shriek, and when her maids of honor ran to see what was 
the matter, they found she had had a frightful dream. 

“ I thought,’’ said she, “ that my little daughter had changed 
into a bouquet of roses, and that as I held it in my hand a bird 
swooped down suddenly and snatched it from me and carried 
it away. Let some one run and see that all is well with the 
princess,” she added. 

So they ran; but what was their dismay when they found 
that the cradle was empty; and though they sought high and 
low, not a trace of Rosanella could they discover. The queen 
was inconsolable, and so, indeed, was the king, only being a 
man he did not say quite so much about his feelings. He pres¬ 
ently proposed to Balanice that they should spend a few days 
at one of their palaces in the country; and to this she willingly 
agreed, since her grief made the gaiety of the capital distasteful 
to her. One lovely summer evening, as they sat together on 
a shady lawn shaped like a star, from which radiated twelve 
splendid avenues of trees, the queen looked round and saw a 
charming peasant girl approaching by each of these paths, and 
what was still more singular was that every one of them car¬ 
ried something in a basket which appeared to occupy her 
whole attention. As each drew near, she laid her basket at 
Balanice’s feet, saying: 

“ Charming queen, may this be some slight consolation to 
you in your unhappiness! ” 

The queen hastily opened the baskets and found in each a 
lovely baby girl, about the same age as the little princess for 
whom she sorrowed so deeply. At first the sight of them re¬ 
newed her grief, but presently their charms so gained upon her 
that she forgot her melancholy in providing them with nursery¬ 
maids, cradle-rockers, and ladies-in-waiting, and in sending 
hither and thither for swings and dolls and tops and bushels of 
the finest sweetmeats. 

Oddly enough, each baby had upon its throat a tiny pink 

[ 131 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

rose. The queen found it so difficult to decide on suitable 
names for all of them that until she could settle the matter she 
chose a special color for every one, by which it should be 
known, so that when they were all together they looked like 
nothing so much as a nosegay of gay flowers. As they grew 
older it became evident that though they were all remarkably 
intelligent and profited equally by the education they received, 
yet they differed one from another in disposition, so much so 
that they gradually ceased to be known as “ Pearl,” or “ Prim¬ 
rose,” or* whatever might have been their color, and the queen 
instead would say: 

“ Where is my Sweet? ” or “ my Beautiful,” or “ my Gay.” 

Of course, wi,th all these charms they had lovers by the doz¬ 
ens, not only in their own court, but princes from afar, who 
were constantly arriving, attracted by the reports which were 
spread abroad; but these lovely girls, the first maids of honor, 
were as discreet as they were beautiful and favored no one. 

But let uPreturn to f Surcantine. She had fixed upon the son 
of a king who was cousin to Bardondon to bring up as her 
fickle prince. She'had before, at his christening, given him all 
the graces of mind and body that a prince could possibly re¬ 
quire, but now she redoubled her efforts and. spared no pains 
in adding every imaginable charm and fascination, so that 
whether he happened to be cross or amiable, splendidly or sim¬ 
ply attired, serious or frivolous, he was always perfectly irre¬ 
sistible ! In truth, he was a charming young fellow, since the 
fairy had given him the best heart in the world as well as the 
best head, and had left nothing to be desired but constancy. 
It cannot be denied, however, that Prince Mirliflor was a des¬ 
perate flirt and as fickle as the wind; so much so that by the 
time he arrived at his eighteenth birthday there was not a heart 
left for him to conquer in his father’s kingdom—they were all 
his own and he was tired of every one! Things were in this 
state when he was invited to visit the court of his father’s 
cousin, King Bardondon. 

Imagine his feelings when he arrived and was presented at 
once to twelve of the loveliest creatures in the world, and his 

[ 132] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

embarrassment was heightened by the fact that they all liked 
him as much as he liked each one of them, so that things came 
to such a pass that he was never happy a single instant without 
them. For could he not whisper soft speeches to Sweet and 
laugh with Joy while he looked at Beauty? And in his more 
serious moments what could be pleasanter than to talk to Grave 
upon some shady lawn while he held the hand of Loving in his 
own, and all the others lingered near in sympathetic silence? 
For the first time in his life he really loved, though the object 
of his devotion was not one person but twelve, to whom he was 
equally attached, and even Surcantine was deceived into think¬ 
ing that this was indeed the height of inconstancy. But Pari- 
damie said not a word. 

• In vain did Prince Mirliflor’s father write commanding him 
to return, and proposing for him one good match after another. 
Nothing in the world could tear him from his twelve enchan¬ 
tresses. 

One day the queen gave a large garden-party, and just as the 
guests were all assembled, and Prince Mirliflor was as usual 
dividing his attentions between the twelve beauties, a humming 
of bees was heard. The rose-maidens, fearing their stings, 
uttered little shrieks and fled all together to a distance from 
the rest of the company. Immediately, to the horror of all who 
were looking on, the bees pursued them, and, growing suddenly 
to an enormous size, pounced each upon a maiden and carried 
her off into the air, and in an instant they were all lost to view. 
This amazing occurrence plunged the whole court into the 
deepest affliction, and Prince Mirliflor, after giving way to the 
most violent grief at first, fell gradually into a state of such 
deep dejection that it was feared if nothing could rouse him 
he would certainly die. Surcantine came in all haste to see 
what she could do for her darling, but he rejected with scorn 
all the portraits of lovely princesses which she offered him for 
his collection. In short, it was evident that he was in a bad 
way, and the fairy was at her wits’ end. One day, as he wan¬ 
dered about absorbed in melancholy reflections, he heard sud¬ 
den shouts and exclamations of amazement, and if he had taken 

[ 133] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the trouble to look up he could not have helped being as aston¬ 
ished as every one else, for through the air a chariot of crystal 
was slowly approaching which glittered in the sunshine. Six 
lovely maidens with shining wings drew it by rose-colored 
ribbons, while a whole flight of others, equally beautiful, were 
building long garlands of roses crossed above it, so as to form 
a complete canopy. In it sat the fairy Paridamie, and by her 
side a princess whose beauty positively dazzled all who saw 
her. At the foot of the great staircase they descended and pro¬ 
ceeded to the queen’s apartments, though every one had run 
together to see this marvel, till it was quite difficult to make a 
way through the crowd; and exclamations of wonder rose on 
all sides at the loveliness of the strange princess. “ Great 
queen,” said Paridamie, “ permit me to restore to you your 
daughter Rosanella, whom I stole out of her cradle.” 

After the first transports of joy were over the queen said to 
Paridamie: 

“ But my twelve lovely ones, are they lost to me forever ? 
Shall I never see them again ? ” 

But Paridamie only said: 

“Very soon you will cease to miss them!” in a tone that 
evidently meant “ Don’t ask me any more questions.” And 
then mounting again into her chariot she swiftly disappeared. 

The news of his beautiful cousin’s arrival was soon carried 
to the prince, but he had hardly the heart to go and see her. 
However, it became absolutely necessary that he should pay his 
respects, and he had scarcely been five minutes in her presence 
before it seemed to him that she combined in her own charming 
person all the gifts and graces which had so attracted him in 
the twelve rose-maidens whose loss he had so truly mourned; 
and after all it is really more satisfactory to make love to one 
person at a time. So it came to pass that before he knew where 
he was he was entreating his lovely cousin to marry him, and 
the moment the words had left his lips Paridamie appeared, 
smiling and triumphant, in the chariot of the queen of the 
fairies, for by that time they had all heard of her success and 
declared her to have earned the kingdom. She had to give a 

[ 134 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

full account of how she had stolen Rosanella from her cradle 
and divided her character into twelve parts, that each might 
charm Prince Mirliflor, and when once more united might cure 
him of his inconstancy once and forever. 

And as one more proof of the fascination of the whole Rosa¬ 
nella, I may tell you that even the defeated Surcantine sent her 
a wedding-gift and was present at the ceremony, which took 
place as soon as the guests could arrive. Prince Mirliflor was 
constant for the rest of his life. And indeed who would not 
have been in his place? As for Rosanella, she loved him as 
much as all the twelve beauties put together, so they reigned in 
peace and happiness to the end of their long lives. 


113s] 



The Stars in the Sky 

X^vNCE on a time and twice on a time, and all times 
1 E together as ever I heard tell of, there was a tiny lassie 
who would weep all day to have the stars in the sky to 
play with; she wouldn’t have this, and she wouldn’t have 
that, but it was always the stars she would have. So one fine 
day off she went to find them. And she walked and she 
walked and she walked, till by and by she came to a mill- 
dam. 

" Goode’en to ye,” says she, “ I’m seeking the stars in 
the sky to play with. Have you seen any ? ” 

" Oh, yes, my bonny lassie,” said the mill-dam. " They 
shine in my own face o’ nights till I can’t sleep for them. 
Jump in and perhaps you’ll find one.” 

So she jumped in, and swam about and swam about and 
swam about, but ne’er a one could she see. So she went 
on till she came to a brooklet. 

" Goode’en to ye, Brooklet, Brooklet,” says she; "I’m 
seeking the stars in the sky to play with. Have you seen 
any ? ” 

" Yes, indeed, my bonny lassie,” said the brooklet. " They 
glint on my banks at night. Paddle about, and maybe you’ll 
find one.” 

So she paddled and she paddled and she paddled, but ne’er 
a one did she find. So on she went till she came to the Good 
Folk. 

" Goode’en to ye, Good Folk,” says she; “ I’m looking for 
the stars in the sky to play with. Have ye seen e’er a 
one ? ” 

“ Why, yes, my bonny lassie,” said the Good Folk. " They 

[136] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

shine on the grass here o’ nights. Dance with us, and maybe 
you’ll find one.” 

And she danced and she danced and she danced, but ne’er 
a one did she see. So down she sate; I suppose she wept. 

“ Oh, dearie me, oh, dearie me,” says she, “ I’ve swam and 
I’ve paddled and I’ve danced, and if ye’ll not help me I shall 
never find the stars in the sky to play with.” 

But the Good Folk whispered together, and one of them 
came up to her and took her by the hand and said: “ If you 
won’t go home to your mother, go forward, go forward; mind 
you take the right road. Ask Four Feet to carry you to No 
Feet at all, and tell No Feet at all to carry you to the stairs 
without steps, and if you can climb that ” 

“Oh, shall I be among the stars in the sky then?” cried 
the lassie. 

“ If you’ll not be, then you’ll be elsewhere,” said the Good 
Folk, and set to dancing again. 

So on she went again with a light heart, and by and by 
she came to a saddled horse, tied to a tree. 

“ Goode’en to ye, Beast,” said she; “ I’m seeking the stars 
in the sky to play with. Will you give me a lift, for all my 
bones are an-aching.” 

“ Nay,” said the horse, “ I know naught of the stars in the 
sky, and I’m here to do the bidding of the Good Folk, and 
not my own will.” 

“ Well,” said she, “ it’s from the Good Folk I come, and 
they bade me tell Four Feet to carry me to No Feet at all.” 

“ That’s another story,” said he; “ jump up and ride with 
me. 

So they rode and they rode and they rode, till they got out 
of the forest and found themselves at the edge of the sea. 
And on the water in front of them was a wide glistening 
path running straight out toward a beautiful thing that rose 
out of the water and went up into the sky, and was all the 
colors in the world, blue and red and green, and wonderful to 
look at. 

“ Now get you down,” said the horse; “ I’ve brought ye to 

[ 137] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the end of the land, and that’s as much as Four Feet can do. 
I must away home to my own folk.” 

“ But,” said the lassie, “ where’s No Feet at all, and where’s 
the stair without steps?” 

“ I know not,” said the horse, “ it’s none of my business 
neither. So goode’en to ye, my bonny lassie ”; and off he 
went. 

So the lassie stood still and looked at the water, till a 
strange kind of fish came swimming up to her feet. 

“ Goode’en to ye, big Fish,” says she; “ I’m looking for 
the stars in the sky, and for the stairs that climb up to them. 
Will ye show me the way?” 

“ Nay,” said the fish, “ I can’t unless you bring me word 
from the Good Folk.” 

“ Yes, indeed,” said she. “ They said Four Feet would 
bring me to No Feet at all, and No Feet at all would carry 
me to the stairs without steps.” 

“ Ah, well,” said the fish; “ that’s all right then. Get on 
my back and hold fast.” 

And off he went—kerplash!—into the water, along the 
silver path toward the bright arch. And the nearer they 
came the brighter the sheen of it, till she had to shade her 
eyes from the light of it. 

And as they came to the foot of it, she saw it was a broad 
bright road, sloping up and away into the sky, and at the far, 
far end of it she could see wee shining things dancing about. 

“ Now,” said the fish, “here you are, and yon’s the stair; 
climb up, if you can, but hold on fast. I’ll warrant you find 
the stair easier at home than by such a way; ’twas ne’er meant 
for lassies’ feet to travel”; and off he splashed through the 
water. 

So she clomb and she clomb and she clomb, but ne’er a 
step higher did she get: the light was before her and around 
her, and the water behind her, and the more she struggled the 
more she was forced down into the dark and the cold, and the 
more she clomb the deeper she fell. 

But she clomb and she clomb, till she got dizzy in the 
[ 138 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

light and shivered with the cold, and dazed with the fear; 
but still she clomb, till at last, quite dazed and silly-like, she 
let clean go, and sank down—down—down. 

And bang she came on to the hard boards, and found her¬ 
self sitting, weeping and wailing, by the bedside at home all 
alone. 


Cap o Rushes 


JT JT 7 * ELL, there was once a very rich gentleman, and 
b/h/ he had three daughters, and he thought he’d see 
r r how fond they were of him. So he says to the 

first, “ How much do you love me, my dear? ” 

“ Why,” says she, “ as I love my life.” 

“That’s good,” says he. 

So he says to the second, “ How much do you love me, 
my dear? ” 

“ Why,” says she, “ better nor all the world.” 

“ That’s good,” says he. 

So he says to the third, “ How much do you love me, my 
dear? ” 

“Why, I love you as fresh meat loves salt,” says she. 

Well, but he was angry. “ You don’t love me at all,” says 
he, “ and in my house you stay no more.” So he drove her 
out there and then, and shut the door in her face. 

Well, she went away on and on till she came to a fen, and 
there she gathered a lot of rushes and made them into a kind 
of a sort of a cloak with a hood, to cover her from head to foot, 
and to hide her fine clothes. And then she went on and on 
till she came to a great house. 

“ Do you want a maid ? ” says she. 

“ No, we don’t,” said they. 

“ I haven’t nowhere to go,” says she; “ and I ask no wages, 
and do any sort of work,” says she. 

“ Well,” said they, “ if you like to wash the pots and scrape 
the saucepans you may stay,” said they. 

So she stayed there and washed the pots and scraped the 
saucepans and did all the dirty work. And because she gave 
no name they called her “ Cap o’ Rushes.” 

[ ho ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Well, one day there was to be a great dance a little way 
off, and the servants were allowed to go and look on at the 
grand people. Cap o’ Rushes said she was too tired to go, 
so she stayed at home. 

But when they were gone, she offed with her cap o' rushes, 
and cleaned herself and went to the dance. And no one there 
was so finely dressed as she. 

Well, who should be there but her master’s son, and what 
•should he do but fall in love with her the minute he set eyes 
on her. He wouldn’t dance with any one else. 

But before the dance was done, Cap o’ Rushes slipped off, 
and away she went home. And when the other maids came 
back, she was pretending to be asleep with her cap o’ 
rushes on. 

Well, next morning they said to her, “ You <did miss a 
sight, Cap o’ Rushes! ” 

“ What was that? ” says she. 

“ Why, the beautifullest lady you ever see, dressed right 
gay and ga’. The young master, he never took his eyes 
off her.” 

“ Well, I should have liked to have seen her,” says Cap o’ 
Rushes. 

“ Well, there’s to be another dance this evening, and per¬ 
haps she’ll be there.” 

But, come the evening, Cap o’ Rushes said she was too tired 
to go with them. Howsoever, when they were gone, she offed 
with her cap o’ rushes and cleaned herself, and away she went 
to the dance. 

The master’s son had been reckoning on seeing her, and 
he danced with no one else, and never took his eyes off her. 
But, before the dance was over, she slipped off, and home she 
went, and when the maids came back she pretended to be 
asleep with her cap o’ rushes on. 

Next day they said to her again: “ Well, Cap o’ Rushes, you 
should ha’ been there to see the lady. There she was again, 
gay and ga’, and the young master he never took his eyes 
off her.” 


[ 141] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Well, there,” says she, “ I should ha’ liked to ha’ seen 
her.” 

“ Well,” says they, “ there’s a dance again this evening, 
and you must go with us, for she’s sure to be there.” 

Well, come this evening, Cap o’ Rushes said she was too 
tired to go, and do what they would she stayed at home. But 
when they were gone, she offed with her cap o’ rushes and 
cleaned herself, and away she went to the dance. 

The master’s son was rarely glad when he saw her. He 
danced with none but her and never took his eyes off her. 
When she wouldn’t tell him her name, nor where she came 
from, he gave her a ring and told her if he didn’t see her again 
he should die. 

Well, before the dance was over, off she slipped, and home 
she went, and when the maids came home she was pretending 
to be asleep with her cap o’ rushes on. 

Well, next day they says to her: “There, Cap o’ Rushes, 
you didn’t come last night, and now you won’t see the lady, 
for there’s no more dances.” 

“Well, I should have rarely liked to have seen her,” says 
she. 

The master’s son he tried every way to find out where 
the lady was gone, but go where he might, and ask whom 
he might, he never heard anything about her. And he got 
worse and worse for the love of her till he had to keep his 
bed. 

“ Make some gruel for the young master,” they said to 
the cook. “ He’s dying for the love of the lady.” The cook 
set about making it when Cap o’ Rushes came in. 

“ What are you a-doing of? ” says she. 

“ I’m going to make some gruel for the young master,” 
says the cook, “ for he’s dying for love of the lady.” 

“ Let me make it,” says Cap o’ Rushes. 

Well, the cook wouldn’t at first, but at last she said yes, 
and Cap o’ Rushes made the gruel. And when she had made 
it, she slipped the ring into it on the sly before the cook 
took it up-stairs. 


i 142 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The young man he drank it and then he saw the ring at the 
bottom. 

“ Send for the cook,” says he. 

So up she comes. 

“ Who made this gruel here? ” says he. 

“ I did,” says the cook, for she was frightened. 

And he looked at her. 

“ No, you didn’t,” says he. “ Say who did it, and you 
sha’n’t be harmed.” 

“ Well, then ’twas Cap o’ Rushes,” says she. 

“ Send Cap o’ Rushes here,” says he. 

So Cap o’ Rushes came. 

“ Did you make my gruel ? ” says he. 

“ Yes, I did,” says she. 

“ Where did you get this ring? ” says he. 

“ From him that gave it me,” says she. 

“Who are you, then?” says the young man. 

“ I’ll show you,” says she. And she offed with her cap o’ 
rushes, and there she was in her beautiful clothes. 

Well, the master’s son he got well very soon, and they were 
to be married in a little time. It was to be a very grand 
wedding, and every one was asked far and near. And Cap o’ 
Rushes’s father was asked. But she never told anybody who 
she was. 

But before the wedding, she went to the cook, and says she: 

“ I want you to dress every dish without a mite o’ salt.” 

“ That’ll be rare nasty,” says the cook. 

“That doesn’t signify,” says she. 

“ Very well,” says the cook. 

Well, the wedding-day came, and they were married. And 
after they were married, all the company sat down to the 
dinner. When they began to eat the meat, it was so tasteless 
they couldn’t eat it. But Cap o’ Rushes’s father tried first 
one dish and then another, and then he burst out crying. 

“ What is the matter? ” said the master’s son to him. 

“ Oh! ” says he, “ I had a daughter. And I asked her how 
much she loved me. And she said ‘ As much as fresh meat 

[ 143] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

loves salt.’ And I turned her from my door, for I thought 
she didn’t love me. And now I see she loved me best of all. 
And she may be dead for aught I know.” 

“No, father, here she is!” said Cap o’ Rushes. And she 
goes up to him and puts her arms round him. 

And so they were all happy ever after. 


[ 144] 


Heart of Ice 

NCE upon a time there lived a king and queen who were 
w M foolish beyond all telling, but nevertheless they were 
vastly fond of each other. It is true that certain spite¬ 
ful people were heard to say that this was only one proof the 
more of their exceeding foolishness, but, of course, you will 
understand that these were not their own courtiers, since, after 
all, they were a king and queen, and up to this time all things 
had prospered with them. For in those days the one thing to 
be thought of in governing a kingdom was to keep well with 
all the fairies and enchanters, and on no account to stint them 
of the cakes, the ells of ribbon, and similar trifles which were 
their due, and, above all things, when there was a christening, 
to remember to invite every single one, good, bad, or indiffer¬ 
ent, to the ceremony. Now, the foolish queen had one little 
son who was just going to be christened, and for several 
months she had been hard at work preparing an enormous list 
of the names of those who were to be invited, but she quite for¬ 
got that it would take nearly as long to read it over as it had 
taken to write it out. So when the moment of the christening 
arrived the king—to whom the task had been intrusted—had 
barely reached the end of the second page and his tongue was 
tripping with fatigue and haste as he repeated the usual for¬ 
mula: “ I conjure and pray you, Fairy So-and-so ”—or “ En¬ 
chanter Such-a-one ”—“ to honor me with a visit and gra¬ 
ciously bestow your gifts upon my son.” 

To make matters worse, word was brought to him that the 
fairies asked on the first page had already arrived and were 
waiting impatiently in the great hall, and grumbling that no¬ 
body was there to receive them. Thereupon he gave up the 

[ 145 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

list in despair and hurried to greet those whom he had suc¬ 
ceeded in asking, imploring their good-will so humbly that 
most of them were touched and promised that they would do 
his son no harm. But there happened to be among them a fairy 
from a far country about whom they knew nothing, though her 
name had been written on the first page of the list. This fairy 
was annoyed that after having taken the trouble to come so 
quickly there had been no one to receive her or to help her to 
alight from the great ostrich on which she had traveled from 
her distant home, and now she began to mutter to herself in the 
most alarming way. 

“ Oh, prate away,” said she, “ your son will never be any¬ 
thing to boast of. Say what you will, he will be nothing but 
a manikin-” 

No doubt she would have gone on longer in this strain, and 
given the unhappy little prince half a dozen undesirable gifts, 
if it had not been for the good fairy Genesta, who held the 
kingdom under her special protection, and who luckily hurried 
in just in time to prevent further mischief. When she had by 
compliments and entreaties pacified the unknown fairy and per¬ 
suaded her to say no more, she gave the king a hint that now 
was the time to distribute the presents, after which ceremony 
they all took their departure, excepting the fairy Genesta, who 
then went to see the queen and said to her: 

“ A nice mess you seem to have made of this business, 
madam. Why did you not condescend to consult me? But 
foolish people like you always think they can do without help 
or advice, and I observe that in spite of all my goodness to you, 
you had not even the civility to invite me! ” 

“ Ah! dear madam,” cried the king, throwing himself at her 
feet; “ did I ever have time to get as far as your name ? See 
where I put in this mark when I abandoned the hopeless under¬ 
taking which I had but just begun! ” 

“ There! there! ” said the fairy, “ I am not offended. I don’t 
allow myself to be put out by trifles like that with people I 
really am fond of. But now about your son. I have saved 
him from a great many disagreeable things, but you must let 

[146] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

me take him away and take care of him, and you will not see 
him again until he is all covered with fur! ” 

At these mysterious words the king and queen burst into 
tears, for they lived in such a hot climate themselves that how 
or why the prince should come to be covered with fur they 
could not imagine, and thought it must portend some great 
misfortune to him. 

However, Genesta told them not to disquiet themselves. 

“ If I left him to you to bring up,” said she, “ you would be 
certain to make him as foolish as yourselves. I do not even 
intend to let him know that he is your son. As for you, you 
had better give your minds to governing your kingdom prop¬ 
erly.” 

So saying she opened the window, and catching up the little 
prince, cradle and all, she glided away in the air as if she were 
skating upon ice, leaving the king and queen in the greatest 
affliction. They consulted every one who came near them as 
to what the fairy could possibly have meant by saying that 
when they saw their son again he would be covered with fur. 
But nobody could offer any solution of the mystery, only they 
all seemed to agree that it must be something frightful, and the 
king and queen made themselves more miserable than ever, and 
wandered about their palace in a way to make any one pity 
them. Meantime the fairy had carried off the little prince to 
her own castle, and placed him under the care of a young 
peasant woman, whom she bewitched so as to make her think 
that this new baby was one of her own children. So the prince 
grew up healthy and strong, leading the simple life of a young 
peasant, for the fairy thought that he could have no better 
training; only as he grew older she kept him more and more 
with herself, that his mind might be cultivated and exercised as 
well as his body. But her care did not cease there. She re¬ 
solved that he should be tried by hardships and disappoint¬ 
ments and the knowledge of his fellow-men; for indeed she 
knew the prince would need every advantage that she could 
give him, since, though he increased in years, he did not in¬ 
crease in height, but remained the tiniest of princes. However, 

[ 147 ] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

in spite of this he was exceedingly active and well-formed, and 
altogether so handsome and agreeable that the smallness of his 
stature was of no real consequence. The prince was perfectly 
aware that he was called by the ridiculous name of “ Manikin,” 
but he consoled himself by vowing that, happen what might, 
he would make it illustrious. 

In order to carry out her plans for his welfare the fairy now 
began to send Prince Manikin the most wonderful dreams of 
adventure by sea and land, and of these adventures he himself 
was always the hero. Sometimes he rescued a lovely princess 
from some terrible danger, again he earned a kingdom by some 
brave deed, until at last he longed to go away and seek his for¬ 
tune in a far country where his humble birth would not prevent 
his gaining honor and riches by his courage, and it was with 
a heart full of ambitious projects that he rode one day into a 
great city not far from the fairy’s castle. As he had set out 
intending to hunt in the surrounding forest he was quite simply 
dressed, and carried only a bow and arrows and a light spear; 
but even thus arrayed he looked graceful and distinguished. 
As he entered the city he saw that the inhabitants were all 
racing with one accord toward the market-place, and he also 
turned his horse in the same direction, curious to know what 
was going forward. When he reached the spot he found that 
certain foreigners of strange and outlandish appearance were 
about to make a proclamation to the assembled citizens, and he 
hastily pushed his way into the crowd until he was near enough 
to hear the words of the venerable old man who was their 
spokesman: 

“ Let the whole world know that he who can reach the sum¬ 
mit of the Ice Mountain shall receive as his reward, not only 
the incomparable Sabella, fairest of the fair, but also all the 
realms of which she is queen! Here,” continued the old man 
after he had made this proclamation—“ here is the list of all 
those princes who, struck by the beauty of the princess, have 
perished in the attempt to win her; and here is the list of those 
who have just entered upon the high emprise.” 

Prince Manikin was seized with a violent desire to inscribe 
[148] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

his name among the others, but the remembrance of his de¬ 
pendent position and his lack of wealth held him back. But 
while he hesitated the old man, with many respectful ceremo¬ 
nies, unveiled a portrait of the lovely Sabella, which was car¬ 
ried by some of the attendants, and after one glance at it the 
prince delayed no longer, but rushing forward demanded per¬ 
mission to add his name to the list. When they saw his tiny 
stature and simple attire the strangers looked at each other 
doubtfully, not knowing whether to accept or refuse him. But 
the prince said haughtily, “ Give me the paper that I may sign 
it,” and they obeyed. What between admiration for the prin¬ 
cess and annoyance at the hesitation shown by her ambassadors, 
the prince was too much agitated to choose any other name 
than the one by which he was always known. But when, after 
all the grand titles of the other princes, he simply wrote 
“ Manikin,” the ambassadors broke into shouts of uncon¬ 
trollable laughter. 

“ Miserable wretches! ” cried the prince, “ but for the pres¬ 
ence of that lovely portrait I would cut off your heads.” 

But he suddenly remembered that, after all, it was an odd 
name, and that he had not yet had time to make it famous; so 
he was calm, and inquired the way to the Princess Sabella’s 
country. 

Though his heart did not fail him in the least, still he felt 
there were many difficulties before him, and he resolved to set 
out at once, without even taking leave of the fairy, for fear 
she might try to stop him. Everybody in the town who knew 
him made great fun of the idea of Manikin’s undertaking such 
an expedition, and it even came to the ears of the foolish king 
and queen, who laughed over it more than any of the others, 
without having an idea that the presumptuous Manikin was 
their only son! 

Meantime the prince was traveling on, though the directions 
he had received for his journey were none of the clearest. 

“ Four hundred leagues north of Mount Caucasus you will 
receive your orders and instructions for the conquest of the 
Ice Mountain.” 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Fine marching orders, those, for a man starting from a coun¬ 
try near where Japan is nowadays! 

However, he fared eastward, avoiding all towns, lest the peo¬ 
ple should laugh at his name, for, you see, he was not a very 
experienced traveler and had not yet learned to enjoy a joke 
even if it were against himself. At night he slept in the woods 
and at first he lived upon wild fruits; but the fairy, who was 
keeping a benevolent eye upon him, thought that it would never 
do to let him be half-starved in that way, so she took to feed¬ 
ing him with all sorts of good things while he was asleep, and 
the prince wondered very much that when he was awake he 
never felt hungry! True to her plan, the fairy sent him various 
adventures to prove his courage, and he came successfully 
through them all, only in his last fight with a furious monster 
that resembled a fierce tiger he had the ill luck to lose his 
horse. 

Nothing daunted, he struggled along on foot and at last 
reached a seaport. Here he found a boat sailing for the coast 
which he desired to reach, and having just enough money to 
pay his passage, he went on board and they started. But after 
some days a fearful storm came on, which completely wrecked 
the little ship, and the prince only saved his life by swimming a 
long, long way to the only land that was in sight, and which 
proved to be a desert island. Here he lived by fishing and hunt¬ 
ing, always hoping that the good fairy would presently rescue 
him. 

One day as he was looking sadly out to sea he became aware 
of a curious-looking boat which was drifting slowly toward the 
shore, and which presently ran into a little creek and there 
stuck fast in the sand. Prince Manikin rushed down eagerly 
to examine it, and saw with amazement that the masts and 
spars were all branched and covered thickly with leaves until 
it looked like a little wood. Thinking from the stillness that 
there could be no one on board, the prince pushed aside the 
branches and sprang over the side, and found himself sur¬ 
rounded by the crew, who lay motionless as dead men and in 
a most deplorable condition. They, too, had become almost like 

[ 150] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

trees, and were growing to the deck, or to the masts, or to the 
sides of the vessel, or to whatever they had happened to be 
touching when the enchantment fell upon them. 

Manikin was struck with pity for their miserable plight, and 
set to work with might and main to release them. With the 
sharp point of one of his arrows he gently detached their hands 
and feet from the wood which held them fast, and carried them 
on shore, one after another, where he rubbed their rigid limbs 
and bathed them with infusions of various herbs, with such 
success that after a few days they recovered perfectly and were 
as fit to manage a boat as ever. You may be sure that the good 
fairy Genesta had something to do with this marvelous cure, 
and she also put it into the prince’s head to rub the boat itself 
with the same magic herbs, which cleared it entirely, and not 
before it was time, for at the rate at which it was growing 
before it would very soon have become a forest! 

The gratitude of the sailors was extreme, and they willingly 
promised to land the prince upon any coast he pleased; but 
when he questioned them about the extraordinary thing that 
had happened to them and to their ship they could in no way 
explain it, except that they said as they were passing along 
a thickly wooded coast a sudden gust of wind had reached them 
from the land and enveloped them in a dense cloud of dust, 
after which everything in the boat that was not metal had 
sprouted and blossomed as the prince had seen, and that they 
themselves had grown gradually numb and heavy and had 
finally lost all consciousness. Prince Manikin was deeply in¬ 
terested in this curious story, and collected a quantity of the 
dust from the bottom of the boat, which he carefully preserved, 
thinking that its strange property might one day stand him in 
good stead. 

Then they joyfully left the desert island, and after a long 
and prosperous voyage over calm seas they at length came in 
sight of land, and resolved to go on shore, not only to take in 
a fresh stock of water and provisions, but also to find out, if 
possible, where they were and in what direction to proceed. 

As they neared the coast they wondered if this could be 

[isO 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

another uninhabited land, for no human beings could be dis¬ 
tinguished, and yet that something was stirring became evident, 
for in the dust-clouds that moved near the ground small dark 
forms were dimly visible. These appeared to be assembling at 
the exact spot where they were preparing to run ashore, and 
what was their surprise to find they were nothing more nor less 
than large and beautiful spaniels, some mounted as sentries, 
others grouped in companies and regiments, all eagerly watch¬ 
ing their disembarkation. When they found that Prince Mani¬ 
kin, instead of saying, “ Shoot them,” as they had feared, said 
“ Hi, good dog! ” in a thoroughly friendly and ingratiating 
way, they crowded round him with a great wagging of tails 
and giving of paws, and very soon made him understand that 
they wanted him to leave his men with the boat and follow 
them. 

The prince was so curious to know more about them that 
he agreed willingly; so after arranging with the sailors to wait 
for him fifteen days, and then, if he had not come back, to go 
on their way without him, he set out with his new friends. 
Their way lay inland, and Manikin noticed with great surprise 
that the fields were well cultivated and that the carts and 
plows were drawn by horses or oxen, just as they might have 
been in any other country, and when they passed any village 
the cottages were trim and pretty, and an air of prosperity was 
everywhere. At one of the villages a dainty little repast was 
set before the prince, and while he was eating a chariot was 
brought, drawn by two splendid horses, which were driven with 
great skill by a large spaniel. In this carriage he continued 
his journey very comfortably, passing many similar equipages 
upon the road, and being always most courteously saluted by 
the spaniels who occupied them. 

At last they drove rapidly into a large town, which Prince 
Manikin had no doubt was the capital of the kingdom. News 
of his approach had evidently been received, for all the inhabi¬ 
tants were at their doors and windows, and all the little spaniels 
had climbed upon the wall and gates to see him arrive. The 
prince was delighted with the hearty welcome they gave him 

[ 152 ] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and looked round him with the deepest interest. After passing 
through a few wide streets, well paved and adorned with ave¬ 
nues of fine trees, they drove into the courtyard of a grand 
palace, which was full of spaniels who were evidently soldiers. 
“ The king’s bodyguard,” thought the prince to himself as he 
returned their salutations, and then the carriage stopped and he 
was shown into the presence of the king, who lay upon a rich 
Persian carpet surrounded by several little spaniels, who were 
occupied in chasing away the flies lest they should disturb his 
Majesty. 

He was the most beautiful of all spaniels, with a look of sad¬ 
ness in his large eyes, which quite disappeared as he sprang 
up to welcome Prince Manikin with every demonstration of 
delight; after which he made a sign to his courtiers, who came 
one by one to pay their respects to the visitor. The prince 
thought that he would find himself puzzled as to how he should 
carry on a conversation, but as soon as he and the king were 
once more left alone a secretary of state was sent for, who 
wrote from his Majesty’s dictation a most polite speech, in 
which he regretted much that they were unable to converse 
except in writing, the language of dogs being difficult to un¬ 
derstand. As for the writing, it had remained the same as the 
prince’s own. 

Manikin thereupon wrote a suitable reply, and then begged 
the king to satisfy his curiosity about all the strange things he 
had seen and heard since his landing. This appeared to awaken 
sad recollections in the king’s mind, but he informed the prince 
that he was called King Bayard, and that a fairy, whose king^ 
dom was next his own, had fallen violently in love with him 
and had done all she could to persuade him to marry her; but 
that he could not do so, as he himself was the devoted lover of 
the queen of the Spice Islands. Finally the fairy, furious at 
the indifference with which her love was treated, had reduced 
him to the state in which the prince found him, leaving him 
unchanged in mind, but deprived of the power of speech; and 
not content with wreaking her vengeance upon the king alone, 
she had condemned all his subjects to a similar fate, saying: 

[ 153] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Bark and run upon four feet until the time comes when 
virtue shall be rewarded by love and fortune.” 

This, however, as the poor king sadly remarked, was very 
much the same thing as if she had said: “ Remain a spaniel for¬ 
ever and ever.” 

Prince Manikin was quite of the same opinion; nevertheless 
he said what we should all have said in the same circumstances : 

“ Your Majesty must have patience.” 

He was indeed deeply sorry for poor King Bayard, and said 
all the consoling things he could think of, promising to aid 
him with all his might if there was anything to be done. In 
short they became firm friends, and the king proudly displayed 
to Manikin the portrait of the queen of the Spice Islands, and 
he quite agreed that it was worth while to go through anything 
for the sake of a creature so lovely. Prince Manikin in his 
turn told his own history and the great undertaking upon which 
he had set out, and King Bayard was able to give him some 
valuable instructions as to which would be the best way for him 
to proceed, and then they went together to the place where 
the boat had been left. The sailors were delighted to see the 
prince again, though they had known that he was safe, and 
when they had taken on board all the supplies which the king 
had sent for them they started once more. The king and 
prince parted with much regret, and the former insisted that 
Manikin should take with him one of his own pages, named 
Mousta, who was charged to attend him everywhere and serve 
him faithfully, which he promised to do. 

The wind being favorable they were soon out of hearing of 
the general howl of regret from the whole army, which had 
been given by order of the king as a great compliment, and it 
was not long before the land was entirely lost to view. They 
met with no further adventures worth speaking of, and pres¬ 
ently found themselves within two leagues of the harbor for 
which they were making. The prince thought it would suit him 
better to land where he was, so as to avoid the town, since he 
had no money left and was very doubtful as to what he should 
do next. So the sailors set him and Mousta on shore and then 

[ 154] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

went back sorrowfully to their ship, while the prince and his 
attendant walked off in what looked to them the most prom¬ 
ising direction. They soon reached a lovely green meadow on 
the border of a wood, which seemed to them so pleasant after 
their long voyage that they sat down to rest in the shade and 
amuse themselves by watching the gambols and antics of a 
pretty little monkey in the trees close by. The prince presently 
became so fascinated by it that he sprang up and tried to catch 
it, but it eluded his grasp and kept just out of arm’s reach, 
until it had made him promise to follow wherever it led him, 
and then it sprang upon his shoulder and whispered in his 
ear: 

“We have no money, my poor Manikin, and we are alto¬ 
gether badly off and at a loss to know what to do next.” 

“ Yes, indeed,” answered the prince ruefully, “ and I have 
nothing to give you, no sugar or biscuits, or anything that you 
like, my pretty one.” 

“ Since you are so thoughtful for me and so patient about 
your own affairs,” said the little monkey, “ I will show you 
the way to the Golden Rock, only you must leave Mousta 
to wait for you here.” 

Prince Manikin agreed willingly, and then the little monkey 
sprang from his shoulder to the nearest tree, and began to 
run through the wood from branch to branch, crying: “ Fol¬ 
low me.” 

This the prince did not find so easy, but the little monkey 
waited for him and showed him the easiest places, until pres¬ 
ently the wood grew thinner and they came out into a little 
clear grassy space at the foot of a mountain, in the midst 
of which stood a single rock about ten feet high. When they 
were quite close to it the little monkey said: 

“ This stone looks pretty hard, but give it a blow with your 
spear and let us see what will happen.” 

So the prince took his spear and gave the rock a vigorous 
dig, which split off several pieces, and showed that though the 
surface was thinly coated with stone, inside it was one solid 
mass of pure gold. 


[ 155 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Thereupon the little monkey said, laughing at his aston¬ 
ishment: 

“ I make you a present of what you have broken off. Take 
as much of it as you think proper.” 

The prince thanked it gratefully and picked up one of the 
smallest of the lumps of gold. As he did so the little monkey 
was suddenly transformed into a tall and gracious lady, who 
said to him: 

“ If you are always as kind and persevering and easily con¬ 
tented as you are now you may hope to accomplish the most 
difficult tasks. Go on your way and have no fear that you 
will be troubled any more for lack of gold, for that little piece 
which you modestly chose shall never grow less, use it as 
much as you will. But that you may see the danger you have 
escaped by your moderation, come with me.” 

So saying, she led him -back into the wood by a different 
path, and he saw that it was full of men and women. Their 
faces were pale and haggard, and they ran hither and thither 
seeking madly upon the ground or in the air, starting at every 
sound, pushing and trampling upon one another in their 
frantic eagerness to find the way to the Golden Rock. 

“ You see how they toil,” said the fairy, “ but it is all of no 
avail. They will end by dying of despair, as hundreds have 
done before them.” 

As soon as they had returned to the place where they had 
left Mousta, the fairy disappeared, and the prince and his 
faithful squire, who had greeted him with every demonstration 
of joy, took the nearest way to the city. Here they stayed 
several days, while the prince provided himself with horses 
and attendants and made many inquiries about Princess 
Sabella and the way to her kingdom, which was still so far 
away that he could hear little about it, and that of the vaguest 
description, but when he presently reached Mount Caucasus 
it was quite a different matter. Here they seemed to talk of 
nothing but the Princess Sabella, and strangers from all parts 
of the world were traveling toward her father’s court. 

The prince heard plenty of assurances as to her beauty and 

[156] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

her riches, but he also heard of the immense number of his 
rivals and their power. One brought an army at his back, 
another had vast treasures, a third was as handsome and 
accomplished as it was possible to be; while as to poor Mani¬ 
kin, he had nothing but his determination to succeed, his 
faithful spaniel, and his ridiculous name—which last was 
hardly likely to help him, but as he could not alter it he 
wisely determined not to think of it any more. After journey¬ 
ing for two whole months they came at last to Trelintin, the 
capital of the Princess Sabella’s kingdom, and here he heard 
dismal stories about the Ice Mountain, and how none of those 
who had attempted to climb it had ever come back. He 
heard also the story of King Farda-Kinbras, Sabella’s father. 
It appeared that he, being a rich and powerful monarch, had 
married a lovely princess named Birbantine, and they had been 
as happy as the day was long—so happy that as they were 
out sledging one day they were foolish enough to defy fate 
to spoil their happiness. 

“ We shall see about that,” grumbled an old hag who sat by 
the wayside blowing her fingers to keep them warm. The 
king thereupon was very angry and wanted to punish the 
woman, but the queen prevented him, saying: 

“ Alas! sire, do not let us make bad worse. No doubt this 
is a fairy! ” 

“ You are right there,” said the old woman, and imme¬ 
diately she stood up, and as they gazed at her in horror she 
grew gigantic and terrible, her staff turned to a fiery dragon 
with outstretched wings, her ragged cloak to a golden mantle, 
and her wooden shoes to two bundles of rockets. “ You are 
right there, and you will see what will come of your fine 
goings on and remember the fairy Gorgonzola!” So saying 
she mounted the dragon and flew off, the rockets shooting in 
all directions and leaving long trails of sparks. 

In vain did Farda-Kinbras and Birbantine beg her to re¬ 
turn and endeavor by their humble apologies to pacify her. 
She never so much as looked at them and was very soon out 
of sight, leaving them a prey to all kinds of dismal forebod- 

[ iS7] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

ings. Very soon after this the queen had a little daughter, 
who was the most beautiful creature ever seen. All the fairies 
of the north were invited to her christening and warned 
against the malicious Gorgonzola. She also was invited, though 
she neither came to the banquet nor accepted her present; 
but as soon as all the others were seated at table, after be¬ 
stowing their gifts upon the little princess, she stole into the 
palace, disguised as a black cat, and hid herself under the 
cradle until the nurses and the cradle-rockers had all turned 
their backs, and then she sprang out and in an instant had 
stolen the little princess’s heart and made her escape, only 
being chased by a few dogs and scullions on her way across 
the courtyard. Once outside she mounted her chariot and 
flew straight away to the north pole, where she shut up her 
stolen treasure on the summit of the Ice Mountain, and sur¬ 
rounded it with so many difficulties that she felt quite easy 
about its remaining there as long as the princess lived, and 
then she went home, chuckling at her success. As to the 
other fairies, they went home after the banquet without dis¬ 
covering that anything was amiss, and so the king and queen 
were quite happy. Sabella grew prettier day by day. She 
learned everything a princess ought to know without the 
slightest trouble, and yet something always seemed lacking to 
make her perfectly charming. She had an exquisite voice, but 
whether her songs were grave or gay it did not matter—she 
did not seem to know what they meant; and every one who 
heard her said: 

“She certainly sings perfectly; but there is no tenderness, 
no heart in her voice.” 

Poor Sabella! how could there be when her heart was far 
away on the Ice Mountain? And it was just the same with 
all the other things that she did. As time went on, in spite 
of the admiration of the whole court and the blind fondness 
of the king and queen, it became more and more evident that 
something was fatally wrong, for those who love no one 
cannot long be loved; and at last the king called a general 
assembly and invited the fairies to attend, that they might, 

[ 158 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

if p ossible, find out what was the matter. After explaining 
their grief as well as he could he ended by begging them to 
see the princess for themselves. 

“ It is certain,” said he, “ that something is wrong—what 
it is I don’t know how to tell you, but in some way your work 
is imperfect.” 

They all assured him that so far as they knew everything 
had been done for the princess, and they had forgotten noth¬ 
ing that they could bestow on so good a neighbor as the king 
had been to them. After this they went to see Sabella; but 
they had no sooner entered her presence than they cried out 
with one accord: 

“Oh! horror—she has no heart!” 

On hearing this frightful announcement the king and queen 
gave a cry of despair and entreated the fairies to find some 
remedy for such an unheard-of misfortune. Thereupon the 
eldest fairy consulted her book of magic, which she always 
carried about with her, hung to her girdle by a thick silver 
chain, and there she found out at once that it was Gorgonzola 
who had stolen the princess’s heart, and also discovered what 
the wicked old fairy had done with it. 

“What shall we do? What shall we do?” cried the king 
and queen in one breath. 

“You must certainly suffer much annoyance from seeing 
and loving Sabella, who is nothing but a beautiful image,” 
replied the fairy, “ and this must go on for a long time; but 
I think I see that in the end she will once more regain her 
heart. My advice is that you shall at once cause her portrait 
to be sent all over the world, and promise her hand and all 
her possessions to the prince who is successful in reaching 
her heart. Her beauty alone is sufficient to engage all the 
princes of the world in the quest.” 

This was accordingly done, and Prince Manikin heard that 
already five hundred princes had perished in the snow and 
ice, not to mention their squires and pages, and that more 
continued to arrive daily, eager to try their fortune. After 
some consideration he determined to present himself at court; 

[ 159 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

but his arrival made no stir, as his retinue was as inconsider¬ 
able as his stature, and the splendor of his rivals was great 
enough to throw even Farda-Kinbras himself into the shade. 
However, he paid his respects to the king very gracefully and 
asked permission to kiss the hand of the princess in the usual 
manner; but when he said he was called “ Manikin ” the king 
could hardly repress a smile, and the princess who stood by 
openly shouted with laughter. 

Turning to the king, Prince Manikin said with great 
dignity : 

“ Pray laugh if it pleases your Majesty—I am glad that it 
is in my power to afford you any amusement; but I am not 
a plaything for these gentlemen, and I must beg them to 
dismiss any ideas of that kind from their minds at once.” 
And with that he turned upon the one who had laughed the 
loudest and proudly challenged him to single combat. This 
prince, who was called Fadasse, accepted the challenge very 
scornfully, mocking at Manikin, who he felt sure had no 
chance against himself; but the meeting was arranged for the 
next day. When Prince Manikin quitted the king’s presence 
he was conducted to the audience hall of the Princess Sabella. 
The sight of so much beauty and magnificence almost took 
his breath away for an instant, but, recovering himself with 
an effort, he said: 

“ Lovely princess, irresistibly drawn by the beauty of your 
portrait, I come from the other end of the world to offer my 
services to you. My devotion knows no bounds, but my 
absurd name has already involved me in a quarrel with one 
of your courtiers. To-morrow I am to fight this ugly, over¬ 
grown prince, and I beg you to honor the combat with your 
presence and prove to the world that there is nothing in a 
name, and that you deign to accept Manikin as your knight.” 

When it came to this the princess could not help being 
amused, for though she had no heart she was not without 
humor. She answered graciously that she accepted with 
pleasure, which encouraged the prince to entreat further that 
she would not show any favor to his adversary. 

[ 160 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“Alas!” said she, “I favor none of these foolish people, 
who weary me with their sentiment and their folly. I do very 
well as I am, and yet from one year’s end to another they talk 
of nothing but delivering me from some imaginary affliction. 
Not a word do I understand of all their pratings about love, 
and who knows what dull things besides, which, I declare to 
you, I cannot even remember.” 

Manikin was quick enough to gather from this speech that 
to amuse and interest the princess would be a far surer way 
of gaining her favor than to add himself to the list of those 
who continually teased her about that mysterious thing called 
“ love ” which she was so incapable of comprehending. So 
he began to talk of his rivals, and found in each of them some¬ 
thing to make merry over, in which diversion the princess 
joined him heartily, and so well did he succeed in his attempt 
to amuse her that before very long she declared that of all the 
people at court he was the one to whom she preferred to talk. 

The following day, at the time appointed for the combat, 
when the king, the queen, and the princess had taken their 
places and the whole court and the whole town were assembled 
to see the show. Prince Fadasse rode into the lists mag¬ 
nificently armed and accoutred, followed by twenty-four 
squires and a hundred men-at-arms, each one leading a splen¬ 
did horse, while Prince Manikin entered from the other side 
armed only with his spear and followed by the faithful 
Mousta. The contrast between the two champions was so 
great that there was a shout of laughter from the whole 
assembly; but when at the sounding of a trumpet the com¬ 
batants rushed upon each other, and Manikin, eluding the 
blow aimed at him, succeeded in thrusting Prince Fadasse 
from his horse and pinning him to the sand with his spear, 
it changed to a murmur of admiration. 

So soon as he had him at his mercy, Manikin, turning to 
the princess, assured her that he had no desire to kill any one 
who called himself her courtier, and then he bade the furious 
and humiliated Fadasse rise and thank the princess, to whom 
he owed his life. Then, amid the sounding of the trumpets 

[161] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS* 

and the’ shoutings of the people, he and Mousta retired 
gravely from the lists. 

The king soon sent for him to congratulate him upon his 
success and to offer him a lodging in the palace, which he 
joyfully accepted; while the princess expressed a wish to have 
Mousta brought to her, and when the prince sent for him 
she was so delighted with his courtly manners and his mar¬ 
velous intelligence that she entreated Manikin to give him 
to her for her own. The prince consented with alacrity, not 
only out of politeness, but because he foresaw that to have 
a faithful friend always near the princess might some day be 
of great service to him. All these events made Prince Mani¬ 
kin a person of much more consequence at the court. Very 
soon after there arrived upon the frontier the ambassador 
of a very powerful king, who sent to Farda-Kinbras the fol¬ 
lowing letter, at the same time demanding permission to enter 
the capital in state to receive the answer: 

“ I, Brandatimor, to Farda-Kinbras send greeting. If I 
had before this time seen the portrait of your beautiful 
daughter Sabella I should not have permitted all these ad¬ 
venturers and petty princes to be dancing attendance and 
getting themselves frozen with the absurd idea of meriting 
her hand. For myself, I am not afraid of any rivals, and, 
now I have declared my intention of marrying your daughter, 
no doubt they will at once withdraw their pretensions. My 
ambassador has orders, therefore, to make arrangements for 
the princess to come and be married to me without delay— 
for I attach no importance at all to the farrago of nonsense 
which you have caused to be published all over the world 
about this Ice Mountain. If the princess really has no heart, 
be assured that I shall not concern myself about it, since, if 
anybody can help her to discover one, it is myself. My 
worthy father-in-law, farewell! ” 

The reading of this letter embarrassed and displeased Farda- 
Kinbras and Birbantine immensely, while the princess was fu- 
[162] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

rious at the insolence of the demand. They all three resolved 
that its contents must be kept a profound secret until they could 
decide what reply should be sent, but Mousta contrived to send 
word of all that had passed to Prince Manikin. He was natu¬ 
rally alarmed and indignant, and after thinking it over a little 
he begged an audience of the princess, and led the conversa¬ 
tion so cunningly to the subject that was uppermost in her 
thoughts, as well as his own, that she presently told him all 
about the matter and asked his advice as to what it would be 
best to do. This was exactly what he had not been able to 
decide for himself. He replied that he should advise her to 
gain a little time by promising her answer after the grand en¬ 
try of the ambassador, and this was accordingly done. 

The ambassador did not at all like being put off after that 
fashion, but he was obliged to be content, and only said very 
arrogantly that so soon as his equipages arrived, as he ex¬ 
pected they would do very shortly, he would give all the people 
of the city and the stranger princes with whom it was inun¬ 
dated an idea of the power and the magnificence of his master. 
Manikin, in despair, resolved that he would for once beg the 
assistance of the kind fairy Genesta. He often thought of her 
and always with gratitude, but from the moment of his setting 
out he had determined to seek her aid only on the greatest oc¬ 
casions. That very night, when he had fallen asleep quite 
worn out with thinking over all the difficulties of the situation, 
he dreamed that the fairy stood beside him and said: 

“ Manikin, you have done very well so far. Continue to 
please me and you shall always find good friends when you 
need them most. As for this affair with the ambassador, you 
can assure Sabella that she may look forward tranquilly to his 
triumphal entry, since it will all turn out well for her in the 
end.” 

The prince tried to throw himself at her feet to thank her, 
but woke to find it was all a dream. Nevertheless he took 
fresh courage, and went next day to see the princess, to whom 
he gave many mysterious assurances that all would yet be well. 
He even went so far as to ask her if she would not be very 

[163] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

grateful to any one who would rid her of the insolent Branda- 
timor, to which she replied that her gratitude would know no 
bounds. Then he wanted to know what would be her best wish 
for the person who was lucky enough to accomplish it. To 
which she said that she would wish them to be as insensible to 
the folly called “ love ” as she was herself! 

This was indeed a crushing speech to make to such a devoted 
lover as Prince Manikin, but he concealed the pain it caused 
him with great courage. 

And now the ambassador sent to say that on the very next 
day he would come in state to receive his answer, and from 
the earliest dawn the inhabitants were astir to secure the best 
places for the grand sight; but the good fairy Genesta was 
providing them an amount of amusement they were far from 
expecting, for she so enchanted the eyes of all the spectators 
that when the ambassador’s gorgeous procession appeared, the 
splendid uniforms seemed to them miserable rags that a beggar 
would have been ashamed to wear, the prancing horses ap¬ 
peared as wretched skeletons hardly able to drag one leg after 
the other, while their trappings, which really sparkled with 
gold and jewels, looked like old sheepskins that would not have 
been good enough for a plow-horse. The pages resembled the 
ugliest sweeps. The trumpets gave no more sound than whis¬ 
tles made of onion-stalks or combs wrapped in paper; while 
the train of fifty carriages looked no better than fifty donkey- 
carts. In the last of these sat the ambassador with the haughty 
and scornful air which he considered becoming in the repre¬ 
sentative of so powerful a monarch; for this was the crowning 
point of the absurdity of the whole procession, that all who 
took part in it wore the expression of vanity and self-satisfac¬ 
tion and pride at their own appearance and all their surround¬ 
ings which they believed their splendor amply justified. 

The laughter and howls of derision from the whole crowd 
rose ever louder and louder as the extraordinary train ad¬ 
vanced, and at last reached the ears of the king as he waited in 
the audience hall, and before the procession reached the palace 
he had been informed of its nature, and supposing that it must 

[164] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

be intended as an insult he ordered the gates to be closed. You 
may imagine the fury of the ambassador when, after all his 
pomp and pride, the king absolutely and unaccountably refused 
to receive him. He raved wildly both against king and people, 
and the train retired in great confusion, jeered at and pelted 
with stones and mud by the enraged crowd. It is needless to 
say that he left the country as fast as horses could carry him, 
but not before he had declared war, with the most terrible 
menaces threatening to devastate the country with fire and 
sword. 

Some days after this disastrous embassy King Bayard sent 
courtiers to Prince Manikin with a most friendly letter, offer¬ 
ing his services in any difficulty and inquiring with the deepest 
interest how he fared. 

Manikin at once replied, relating all that had happened since 
they parted, not forgetting to mention the event which had 
just involved Farda-Kinbras and Brandatimor in this deadly 
quarrel, and he ended by entreating his faithful friend to 
despatch a few thousands of his veteran spaniels to his assist¬ 
ance. 

Neither the king, the queen, nor the princess could in the 
least understand the amazing conduct of Brandatimor’s ambas¬ 
sador. Nevertheless the preparations for the war went for¬ 
ward briskly, and all the princes who had not gone on toward 
the Ice Mountain offered their services, at the same time de¬ 
manding all the best appointments in the king’s army. Mani¬ 
kin was one of the first to volunteer, but he only asked to go 
as aide-de-camp to the commander-in-chief, who was a gallant 
soldier and celebrated for his victories. As soon as the army 
could be got together it was marched to the frontier, where it 
met the opposing force headed by Brandatimor himself, who 
was full of fury, determined to avenge the insult to his ambas¬ 
sador and to possess himself of the Princess Sabella. All the 
army of Farda-Kinbras could do, being so heavily outnum¬ 
bered, was to act upon the defensive, and before long Manikin 
won the esteem of the officers for his ability and of the soldiers 
for his courage and care for their welfare, and in all the skir- 

[165] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

mishes which he conducted he had the good fortune to van¬ 
quish the enemy. 

At last Brandatimor engaged the whole army in a terrific 
conflict, and though the troops of Farda-Kinbras fought with 
desperate courage, their general was killed and they were de¬ 
feated and forced to retreat with immense loss. Manikin did 
wonders, and half a dozen times turned the retreating forces 
and beat back the enemy; and he afterward collected troops 
enough to keep them in check until the severe winter setting in 
put an end to hostilities for a while. 

He then returned to the court, where consternation reigned. 
The king was in despair at the death of his trusty general, and 
ended by imploring Manikin to take the command of the army, 
and his counsel was followed in all the affairs of the court. He 
followed up his former plan of amusing the princess and on no 
account reminding her of that tedious thing called “ love,” so 
that she was always glad to see him, and the winter slipped by 
gaily for both of them. 

The prince was all the while secretly making plans for the 
next campaign. He received private intelligence of the arrival 
of a strong reinforcement of spaniels, to whom he sent orders 
to post themselves along the frontier without attracting atten¬ 
tion, and as soon as he possibly could he held a consultation 
with their commander, who was an old and experienced war¬ 
rior. Following his advice, he decided to have a pitched battle 
as soon as the enemy advanced, and this Brandatimor lost not 
a moment in doing, as he was perfectly persuaded that he was 
now going to make an end of the war and utterly vanquish 
Farda-Kinbras. But no sooner had he given the order to 
charge than the spaniels, who had mingled with his troops un¬ 
perceived, leaped each upon the horse nearest to him, and not 
only threw the whole squadron into confusion by the terror 
they caused, but, springing at the throats of the riders, un¬ 
horsed many of them by the suddenness of their attack; then 
turning the horses to the rear, they spread consternation every¬ 
where and made it easy for Prince Manikin to gain a complete 
victory. He met Brandatimor in single combat and succeeded 

[166] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

in taking him prisoner; but he did not live to reach the court, 
to which Manikin had sent him. His pride killed him at the 
thought of appearing before Sabella under these altered cir¬ 
cumstances. 

In the mean time Prince Fadasse and all the others who had 
remained behind were setting out with all speed for the con¬ 
quest of the Ice Mountain, being afraid that Prince Manikin 
might prove as successful in that as he seemed to be in every¬ 
thing else, and when Manikin returned he heard of it with great 
annoyance. True he had been serving the princess, but she 
only admired and praised him for his gallant deeds, and seemed 
no whit nearer bestowing on him the love he so ardently de¬ 
sired, and all the comfort Mousta could give him on the sub¬ 
ject was that at least she loved no one else, and with that he 
had to content himself. But he determined that, come what 
might, he would delay no longer, but attempt the great under¬ 
taking for which he had come so far. When he went to take 
leave of the king and queen they entreated him not to go, as 
they had just heard that Prince Fadasse and all who accom¬ 
panied him had perished in the snow; but he persisted in his 
resolve. As for Sabella, she gave him her hand to kiss with 
precisely the same gracious indifference as she had given it to 
him the first time they met. It happened that this farewell took 
place before the whole court, and so great a favorite had Prince 
Manikin become that they were all indignant at the coldness 
with which the princess treated him. 

Finally the king said to him: 

“ Prince, you have constantly refused all the gifts which, in 
my gratitude for your invaluable services, I have offered to 
you, but I wish the princess to present you with her cloak of 
marten’s fur, and that I hope you will not reject! ” 

Now, this was a splendid fur mantle which the princess was 
very fond of wearing, not so much because she felt cold as that 
its richness set off to perfection the delicate tints of her com¬ 
plexion and the brilliant gold of her hair. However, she took 
it off and with graceful politeness begged Prince Manikin to 
accept it, which you may be sure he was charmed to do, and 

[ 167] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

taking only this and a little bundle of all kinds of wood, and 
accompanied only by two spaniels out of the fifty who had 
stayed with him when the war was ended, he set forth, receiv¬ 
ing many tokens of love and favor from the people in every 
town he passed through. At the last little village he left his 
horse behind him, to begin his toilsome march through the 
snow, which extended, blank and terrible, in every direction 
as far as the eye could see. Here he had appointed to meet the 
other forty-eight spaniels, who received him joyfully and as¬ 
sured him that, happen what might, they would follow and 
serve him faithfully. And so they started, full of heart and 
hope. At first there was a slight track, difficult but not impos¬ 
sible to follow; but this was soon lost and the pole-star was 
their only guide. 

When the time came to call a halt the prince, who had after 
much consideration decided on his plan of action, caused a few 
twigs from the fagot he had brought with him to be planted 
in the snow, and then he sprinkled over them a pinch of the 
magic powder he had collected from the enchanted boat. To 
his great joy they instantly began to sprout and grow, and in a 
marvelously short time the camp was surrounded by a perfect 
grove of trees of all sorts, which blossomed and bore ripe fruit, 
so that all their wants were easily supplied and they were able 
to make huge fires to warm themselves. The prince then sent 
out several spaniels to reconnoiter, and they had the good luck 
to discover a horse laden with provisions stuck fast in the snow. 
They at once fetched their comrades and brought the spoil tri¬ 
umphantly into the camp, and as it consisted principally of bis¬ 
cuits, not a spaniel among them went supperless to sleep. In 
this way they journeyed by day and encamped safely at night, 
always remembering to take on a few branches to provide them 
with food and shelter. They passed by the way armies of those 
who had set out upon the perilous enterprise, who stood frozen 
stiffly, without sense or motion; but Prince Manikin strictly 
forbade that any attempt should be made to thaw them. 

So they went on and on for more than three months, and 
day by day the Ice Mountain, which they had seen for a long 

[168] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

time, grew clearer, until at last they stood close to it, and 
shuddered at its height and steepness. But by patience and 
perseverance they crept up foot by foot, aided by their fires 
of magic wood, without which they must have perished in 
the intense cold, until presently they stood at the gates of 
the magnificent ice palace which crowned the mountain, 
where, in deadly silence and icy sleep, lay the heart of Sa- 
bella. Now the difficulty became immense, for if they main¬ 
tained enough heat to keep themselves alive they were in 
danger every moment of melting the blocks of solid ice of 
which the palace was entirely built and bringing the whole 
structure down upon their heads; but cautiously and quickly 
they traversed courtyards and halls, until they found them¬ 
selves at the foot of a vast throne, where, upon a cushion 
of snow, lay an enormous and brilliantly sparkling diamond, 
which contained the heart of the lovely Princess Sabella. 
Upon the lowest step of the throne was inscribed in icy let¬ 
ters : “ Whosoever thou art who by courage and virtue canst 
win the heart of Sabella, enjoy peacefully the good fortune 
which thou hast richly deserved/’ 

Prince Manikin bounded forward and had just strength 
left to grasp the precious diamond which contained all he 
coveted in the world before he fell insensible upon the snowy 
cushion. But his good spaniels lost no time in rushing to 
the rescue, and between them they bore him hastily from 
the hall, and not a moment too soon, for all around them they 
heard the clang of the falling blocks of ice as the fairy palace 
slowly collapsed under the unwonted heat. Not until they 
reached the foot of the mountain did they pause to restore 
the prince to consciousness, and then his joy to find himself 
the possessor of Sabella’s heart knew no bounds. 

With all speed they began to retrace their steps, but this 
time the happy prince could not bear the sight of his de¬ 
feated and disappointed rivals, whose frozen forms lined his 
triumphant way. He gave orders to his spaniels to spare no 
pains to restore them to life, and so successful were they 
that day by day his train increased, so that by the time he re- 

[169] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

turned to the little village where he had left his horse he was 
escorted by five hundred sovereign princes and knights and 
squires without number, and he was so courteous and un¬ 
assuming that they all followed him willingly, anxious to do 
him honor. But then he was so happy and blissful himself 
that he found it easy to be at peace with all the world. 

It was not long before he met the faithful Mousta, who was 
coming at the top of his speed hoping to meet the prince, 
that he might tell him of the sudden and wonderful change that 
had come over the princess, who had become gentle and 
thoughtful and had talked to him of nothing but Prince Mani¬ 
kin, of the hardships she feared he might be suffering, and of 
her anxiety for him, and all this with a hundred tender ex¬ 
pressions which put the finishing stroke to the prince’s de¬ 
light. Then came a courier bearing the congratulations of 
the king and queen, who had just heard of his successful 
return, and there was even a graceful compliment from Sa- 
bella herself. The prince sent Mousta back to her, and he 
was welcomed with joy, for was he not her lover’s present? 

At last the travelers reached the capital and were received 
with regal magnificence. Farda-Kinbras and Birbantine em¬ 
braced Prince Manikin, declaring that they regarded him as 
their heir and the future husband of the princess, to which he 
replied that they did him too much honor. And then he was 
admitted into the presence of the princess, who for the first 
time in her life blushed as he kissed her hand and could not 
find a word to say. But the prince, throwing himself on his 
knees beside her, held out the splendid diamond, saying: 

“ Madam, this treasure is yours, since none of the dangers 
and difficulties I have gone through have been sufficient to 
make me deserve it.” 

“ Ah! prince,” said she, “ if I take it, it is only that I may 
give it back to you, since truly it belongs to you already.” 

At this moment in came the king and queen, and inter¬ 
rupted them by asking all the questions imaginable, and not 
infrequently the same over and over again. It seems that 
there is always one thing that is sure to be said about an event 

[ 170] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

by everybody, and Prince Manikin found that the question 
which he was asked by more than a thousand people on this 
particular occasion was: 

" And didn’t you find it very cold ? ” 

The king had come to request Prince Manikin and the 
princess to follow him to the council chamber, which they did, 
not knowing that he meant to present the prince to all the 
nobles assembled there as his son-in-law and successor. But 
when Manikin perceived his intention, he begged permission 
to speak first and told his whole story, even to the fact that 
he believed himself to be a peasant’s son. Scarcely had he 
finished speaking when the sky grew black, the thunder 
growled, and the lightning flashed, and in the blaze of light 
the good fairy Genesta suddenly appeared. Turning to Prince 
Manikin, she said: 

“ I am satisfied with you, since you have shown not only 
courage, but a good heart.” Then she addressed King Farda- 
Kinbras and informed him of the real history of the prince, 
and how she had determined to give him the education she 
knew would be best for a man who was to command others. 

“ You have already found the advantage of having a faithful 
friend,” she added to the prince, “ and now you will have the 
pleasure of seeing King Bayard and his subjects regain their 
natural forms as a reward for his kindness to you.” 

Just then arrived a chariot drawn by eagles, which proved 
to contain the foolish king and queen, who embraced their 
long-lost son with great joy, and were greatly struck with * 
the fact that they did indeed find him covered with fur! While 
they were caressing Sabella and wringing her hands (which is 
a favorite form of endearment with foolish people) chariots 
were seen approaching from all points of the compass con¬ 
taining numbers of fairies. 

“ Sire,” said Genesta to Farda-Kinbras, “ I have taken the 
liberty of appointing your court as a meeting-place for all the 
fairies who could spare the time to come; and I hope you can 
arrange to hold the great ball, which we have once in a hun¬ 
dred years, on this occasion.” 

[ 171] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The king having suitably acknowledged the honor done 
him was next reconciled to Gorgonzola, and they two pres¬ 
ently opened the ball together. The fairy Marsontine restored 
their natural forms to King Bayard and all his subjects, and 
he appeared once more as handsome a king as you could wish 
to see. One of the fairies immediately despatched her chariot 
for the Queen of the Spice Islands, and their wedding took 
place at the same time as that of Prince Manikin and the 
lovely and gracious Sabella. They lived happily ever after¬ 
ward, and their vast kingdoms were presently divided between 
their children. 

The prince, out of grateful remembrance of the Princess 
Sabella’s first gift to him, bestowed the right of bearing her 
name upon the most beautiful of the martens, and that is why 
they are called sables to this day. 


[ 172] 


The Gold Bread 


^^\NCE upon a time there was a widow who had a beauti- 
f 1 ful daughter. The mother was modest and humble; 
V-X the daughter, Marienka, was pride itself. She had 
suitors from all sides, but none satisfied her; the more they 
tried to please her, the more she disdained them. 

One night, when the poor mother could not sleep, she took 
her beads and began to pray for her dear child, who gave 
her more than one care. Marienka was asleep by her side. 
As the mother gazed lovingly at her beautiful daughter, Ma¬ 
rienka laughed in her sleep. 

“ What a beautiful dream she must have to laugh in this 
way! ” said the mother. Then she finished her prayer, hung 
her beads on the wall, laid her head on the same pillow with 
her daughter, and fell asleep. 

“ My dear child,” said she in the morning, “ what did you 
dream last night that you laughed so?” 

“ What did I dream, mama? I dreamed that a nobleman 
came here for me in a copper coach, and that he put a ring 
on my finger set with a stone that sparkled like the stars. 
And when I entered the church, the people had eyes for no 
one but the blessed Virgin and me.” 

“ My daughter, my daughter, that was a proud dream!” 
said the mother, shaking her head. But Marienka went out 
singing. 

The same day a wagon entered the yard. A handsome 
young farmer in good circumstances came to ask Marienka 
to share a peasant’s bread with him. The mother was pleased 
with the suitor, but the proud Marienka refused him, saying, 
“ Though you should come in a copper coach, and put a ring 

[ 173 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

on my finger set with a stone that sparkled like the stars, I 
would not have you for a husband.” And the farmer went 
away storming at Marienka’s pride. 

The next night the mother waked, took her beads, and 
prayed still more earnestly for her daughter, when behold! 
Marienka laughed again as she was sleeping. 

“ I wonder what she is dreaming,” said the mother, who 
prayed, unable to sleep. 

“ My dear child,” she said the next morning, “ what did 
you dream last night that you laughed aloud?” 

“What did I dream, mama? I dreamed that a nobleman 
came here for me in a silver coach, and that he offered me a 
golden diadem. And when I entered the church, the people 
looked at me more than they did at the blessed Virgin.” 

“ Hush! you are blaspheming. Pray, my daughter, pray 
that you may not fall into temptation.” 

But Marienka ran away to escape her mother’s sermon. 

The same day a carriage entered the yard. A young lord 
came to entreat Marienka to share a nobleman’s bread with 
him. 

“ It is a great honor,” said the mother; but vanity is blind. 

“ Though you should come in a silver coach,” said Marienka 
to the new suitor, “ and should offer me a golden diadem, I 
would not have you for a husband.” 

“Take care, my child,” said the poor mother; “pride is a 
device of the Evil One.” 

“ Mothers never know what they are saying,” thought 
Marienka, and she went out shrugging her shoulders. 

The third night the mother could not sleep for anxiety. As 
she lay awake, praying for her daughter, behold! Marienka 
burst into a loud fit of laughter. 

“ Oh! ” said the mother, “ what can the unhappy child be 
dreaming now? ” And she continued to pray till daylight. 

“ My dear child,” said she in the morning, “ what did you 
dream last night?” 

“ You will be angry again if I tell you,” answered Marienka. 

“ No, no,” replied the mother; “ tell me.” 

[ 174 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ I dreamed that a noble lord, with a great train of attend¬ 
ants, came to ask me in marriage. He was in a golden coach, 
and he brought me a dress of gold lace. And when I entered 
the church, the people looked at nobody but me.” 

The mother clasped her hands. Marienka, half dressed, 
sprang from the bed and ran into the next room, to avoid a 
lecture that was tiresome to her. 

The same day three coaches entered the yard, one of cop¬ 
per, one of silver, and one of gold, the first drawn by two 
horses, the second by four, and the third by eight, all capari¬ 
soned with gold and pearls. From the copper and silver 
coaches alighted pages dressed in scarlet breeches and green 
jackets and cloaks, while from the golden coach stepped a 
handsome nobleman all dressed in gold. He entered the 
house, and, bending one knee on the ground, asked the 
mother for her daughter’s hand. 

“What an honor!” thought the mother. 

“ My dream has come to pass,” said Marienka. “ You see, 
mother, that, as usual, I was right and you were wrong.” 

She ran to her chamber, tied the betrothal knot, and offered 
it smilingly as a pledge of her faith to the handsome lord, who, 
on his side, put a ring on her finger set with a stone that 
sparkled like the stars, and presented her with a golden dia¬ 
dem and a dress of gold lace. 

The proud girl ran to her room to dress for the ceremony, 
while the mother, still anxious, said to the bridegroom, “ My 
good sir, what bread do you offer my daughter? ” 

“ Among us,” said he, “ the bread is of copper, silver, and 
gold: she can take her choice.” 

“ What does this mean ? ” thought the mother. But Mari¬ 
enka had no anxiety; she returned as beautiful as the sun, 
took her lover’s arm, and set out for the church without ask¬ 
ing her mother’s blessing. The poor woman was left to pray 
alone on the threshold; and when Marienka returned and 
entered the carriage, she did not even turn round to look at 
her mother or to bid her a last farewell. 

The eight horses set off at a gallop, and did not stop till 

[175] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

they reached a huge rock, in which was a hole as large 
as the gate of a city. The horses plunged into the darkness, 
the earth trembled, and the rock cracked and crumbled. 
Marienka seized her husband’s hand. 

“Don’t be alarmed, my fair one; in a moment it will be 
light.” 

All at once a thousand lights waved in the air. The dwarfs 
of the mountain, each with a torch in his hand, came to salute 
their lord, the King of the Mines. Marienka learned for the 
first time her husband’s name. Whether he was a spirit of 
good or evil, at least he was so rich that she did not regret 
her choice. 

They emerged from the darkness, and advanced through 
bleached forests and mountains that raised their pale and 
gloomy summits to the skies. Firs, beeches, birches, oaks, 
rocks, all were of lead. At the end of the forest stretched a 
vast meadow, the grass of which was of silver; and at the 
bottom of the meadow was a castle of gold, inlaid with dia¬ 
monds and rubies. The carriage stopped before the door, 
and the King of the Mines offered his hand to his bride, say¬ 
ing, “ My fair one, all that you see is yours.” 

'Marienka was delighted. But it was impossible to make so 
long a journey without being hungry; and it was with pleas¬ 
ure, therefore, that she saw the mountain dwarfs bring in a 
table, everything on which glittered with gold, silver, and 
precious stones. The dishes were marvelous—side-dishes of 
emeralds, and roasts of gold on silver salvers. Every one ate 
heartily except the bride, who begged her husband for a little 
bread. 

“ Bring the copper bread,” said the King of the Mines. 

Marienka could not eat it. 

“ Bring the silver bread,” said he. 

Marienka could not eat it. 

“ Bring the gold bread,” said he, at length. 

Marienka could not eat it. 

“ My fair one,” said the King of the Mines,” I am very 
sorry; but what can I offer you? We have no other bread.” 

[176] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The bride burst into tears. Her husband laughed aloud: 
his heart was of metal, like his kingdom. 

“Weep, if you like,” he cried; “it will do you no good. 
What you wished for you possess: eat the bread that you have 
chosen. ,, 

It was thus that the rich Marienka lived in her castle, dying 
of hunger, and seeking in vain for a root to allay the torture 
that was consuming her. God had humbled her by granting 
her prayer. 

Three days in the year, the Rogation Days, when the ground 
half opens to receive the fruitful rain sent by the Lord, Mari¬ 
enka returns to the earth. Dressed in rags, pale and wrinkled, 
she begs from door to door, too happy when any one throws 
her a few crusts, and when she receives as alms from the poor 
what she lacks in her palace of gold—a little bread and a little 
pity. 


1177 ] 


The Silver Penny 


It y^ARZI had been a soldier for many years, and was 

/\/g much beloved by his comrades, for he was as merry 
J. f.JL as he was brave, and generous almost to a fault; 
but, unfortunately, the king under whom this popular soldier 
served never went to war with any of his neighbors; so, seeing 
that he was not likely to make a career in the army, Marzi de¬ 
termined to buy his discharge and to return to his relations. 

He arrived at home to find that his father was just dead, and 
his goods were in the act of being divided among his heirs. 
Although the soldier had never expected a large inheritance, 
still he was a good deal surprised to receive as his portion 
nothing more nor less than a silver penny. But he accepted 
this fresh stroke of ill luck as cheerfully as he had done every 
other; and, turning his back on his old home, he set out on his 
travels very little richer than when he returned to his father’s 
house. 

He wandered on for some time through field and meadow, 
till he reached a wood. Here he was stopped by a poor old 
beggar with gray hair, who begged him pitifully for alms. 
Without a moment’s thought, Marzi plunged his hand into his 
pocket, and presented the old man on the spot with his whole 
inheritance. 

The beggar thanked him gratefully, and said: 

“ Your generosity shall be richly rewarded. Joy and bless¬ 
ing shall follow you wherever you go. Only speak, and what¬ 
ever you wish shall be granted to you.” 

Marzi was much astonished at the old man’s words, but an¬ 
swered promptly: 

“ Since it is only to wish I have, I would rather have the 
[ 178 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

power of changing myself at will into a dove, into a hare, and 
into a salmon, than anything else in the world.” 

“ Your desire is granted,” said the beggar. “ Go your way, 
and think sometimes of me.” And hardly had he said these 
words than he vanished. 

The sudden apparition and the strange words of the old beg¬ 
gar so filled the soldier’s mind that he never noticed that he 
had passed over the boundary of his native country. Before 
sunset Marzi found himself in a strange capital, where all was 
uproar and merriment; and in the midst of dancing and sing¬ 
ing, soldiers in glittering uniforms were persuading young men 
to enlist in the army, for the king of the country had entangled 
himself in a war, and had not enough men to carry it on suc¬ 
cessfully. 

The smart appearance of the recruiting-sergeants, their fine 
uniforms, the glittering heaps of shillings on the table round 
which the crowd danced, together with the sound of fiddles and 
the clinking of glasses, delighted the soldier so much that, in 
spite of his fatigue, he joined the dancing and merrymaking, 
and drank one glass after another to the king’s health. Before 
he knew what he had done he had a shako with a waving plume 
on his head, and a silver shilling in his pocket. 

The next day he found himself once more installed in his 
former life, and soon after his regiment was ordered to advance 
and attack the enemy. 

As Marzi was a very fine-looking man, and knew his duty 
well, he was very soon selected for the king’s bodyguard. But 
this mark of favor made him many enemies among the other 
soldiers, for they did not see why a stranger who had not dis¬ 
tinguished himself in the king’s service should be chosen before 
them. 

Now the king had once upon a time been given a magic ring, 
which made its possessor invincible while he wore it. Unfor¬ 
tunately it happened that just at this crisis when it would have 
been of most use to him—for his foe was a very formidable one 
—the king found that he had left his ring at home. The ene¬ 
my’s army marched against him, and fell on his men so sud- 

[ 179] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

denly that he was obliged to retreat in order to assemble fresh 
troops, and although he soon filled up his ranks, and led them 
once more against the foe, keeping up the spirits of his soldiers 
by his own brave example and by dazzling promises for the 
future, his efforts were fruitless. His hitherto unfailing luck 
seemed to have utterly deserted him, and his adherents, sud¬ 
denly becoming aware of their evil plight, saw that they would 
soon be completely defeated and taken prisoners, along with 
their leader. 

Then the king called out in despair: “ The man who fetches 
me my ring before we are overpowered by the enemy shall have 
the hand of my only daughter as his reward.” 

But the danger that threatened them was so immediate, and 
the distance from the capital so great, that the quickest rider 
would not trust himself to be back in time, for at the very 
shortest it would take seven days and seven nights to cross the 
rivers and mountains and plains that separated the capital 
from the camp. Every one was fully aware of this, and no 
one offered to attempt the ride. 

Then Marzi, remembering the three magic gifts the old beg¬ 
gar had endowed him with, stepped forward, and, saluting the 
king, he said, “ Your Majesty shall have your ring immediately, 
and then I beg you will remember your promise ”; and 
in a moment he shook himself and fled as fast as lightning 
through the tents of the warriors in the shape of a hare. He 
ran so quickly that the dust rose in great clouds behind him, 
which astonished every one not a little. 

Soon he came to a broad river, where he shook himself again, 
and swam across it in the shape of a silver salmon, and when 
he had reached the other side he shook himself once more, and 
flew in the shape of a dove, quicker than the wind, over hill and 
dale. Before the king in his camp could have dreamed it pos¬ 
sible, Marzi had reached the palace; and flying through an 
open window into the room of the beautiful princess, he 
perched upon her knee. 

The king’s daughter caressed the tame dove, and was giving 
it milk and sugar, when suddenly it shook its feathers violently, 

[180] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and Marzi in his own natural form stood before the astonished 
eyes of the princess. He told her at once for what purpose he 
had come, and when she had heard his story she was delighted 
to think she was to have such a brave and handsome soldier for 
a husband. 

She gave him the wonderful talisman, and warned him at 
the same time to beware, on his return to the camp, of the envy 
and jealousy of his comrades. 

For fear he should be robbed of the ring on his way back, 
or lest any other misfortune should happen to him, Marzi 
begged the princess to keep three tokens of him to show the 
king. Then he shook himself, and became a dove once more, 
which perched on her knee, and said: 

“ Princess fair, before me kneel, 

And from my wings two feathers steal." 

The princess did as she was bid, and pulled two beautiful 
feathers out of the dove’s wings. When she had done so the 
dove shook itself, and a lovely silver salmon lay before her, 
and said: 

“ Princess, with your finger-nails 
Scrape off eight of my silver scales." 

And the princess took eight lovely silver scales from the fish’s 
back. In a moment the salmon shook itself also, and turned 
into a hare, which said: 

“ Princess mine, yet one demand— 

Cut off my tail with your own fair hand." 

The princess took a pair of scissors and cut the hare’s tail 
off, and put all three tokens in a little box, which she placed 
under lock and key among her other treasures. In the mean 
time the hare had shaken itself, and, standing once more in his 
proper character before her, Marzi bade the princess a tender 
farewell. 

Thereupon he again changed himself into a dove, and seiz- 

[181] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

ing the magic ring in his beak, flew with all haste out of the 
window. The long journey back to the camp, together with 
the weight of the ring, tired the poor little creature dread¬ 
fully; but it put forth all its strength, and flew cheerfully in 
the direction of the camp, where the king sat eagerly awaiting 
Marzi’s return. But just as the dove came in sight of the camp 
a wind suddenly arose, and beat so violently against its wings 
that it was obliged to give up flying, and turn itself into a hare. 
Then, taking the ring between its teeth, it ran as fast as its 
legs could carry it, till it was close on the king’s tent. 

But Marzi soon found out that the princess’s fears had not 
been groundless. One of his comrades, who had seen him run 
away in the shape of a hare, was so filled with jealousy that he 
determined to waylay the gallant soldier on his way back, and 
to seize from him the magic ring which he had promised the 
king. He hid himself, therefore, behind a bush, and when 
the hare passed by he shot it on the spot, and taking the ring 
out of its mouth, he brought it to the king, who was greatly de¬ 
lighted at getting his magic talisman again, and repeated once 
more the reward he had promised .to the bringer. 

Hardly an hour had passed when the fortune of* war 
changed, and success was henceforward on the king’s side. 
The enemy’s army was vanquished, their prince slain, all the 
weapons of war and many costly treasures were captured, and 
the whole country was conquered with very little difficulty. 

When the war was over, the king set forth with his army to 
his own country, and arrived at his capital amid the joyful ac¬ 
clamation of his people. The princess rejoiced greatly over 
his return, but her eyes sought in vain, among the ranks of 
brave warriors who assembled round the palace waving their 
triumphant banners, for her bridegroom. 

But now the king advanced to meet her, and leading Marzi’s 
murderer before her, said : 

Here is he to whom I have promised your hand—the brave 
soldier who brought me the ring. To-morrow your wedding 
shall be celebrated at the same time as a feast in honor of our 
conquest.” 

[ 182] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

When the princess heard these words she burst out crying, 
and didn’t cease all day or night. So unhappy was she that she 
became very ill. But she never revealed the cause of her suf¬ 
fering to any one, only she steadily refused to take any nour¬ 
ishment, and she never stopped crying for a minute, in conse¬ 
quence of which both the wedding and banquet had to be put 
off. Day after day the king grew more alarmed; the suffering 
of his daughter made him very unhappy, and neither he nor 
the doctors could discover the cause of it. 

In the mean time Marzi was lying on the ground, and was 
very nearly becoming food for the crows, when one day the 
old beggar who had given him the three magic gifts in ex¬ 
change for his silver penny happened to come along the field, 
and found the poor little hare lying stiff and stark on the 
ground. He recognized Marzi at once, and said: 

“ Hare, get up and live again. Shake yourself, and go as 
fast as your legs will carry you to the palace, for another stands 
there in your place. Make haste, or you will be too late.” 

Then the hare sprang up alive and well, and hastened with 
all its might over moor and heath, and when it came to the 
banks of the broad river it turned itself into a silver salmon 
and swam across. Then it transformed itself once more into 
a dove, and flew swiftly over hill and dale till it reached the 
king’s palace. Here it shook itself, and Marzi the soldier stood 
once more in his sovereign’s presence. But the king wouldn’t 
listen to his story, and told him that he was telling a lie, at 
the same time confronting him with the man who had brought 
the magic ring. 

This encounter so upset Marzi that he could hardly restrain 
his tears; but he plucked up courage, and said: 

“ Grant me, gracious king, leave to prove to you that I am 
no impostor, and have spoken the truth. Let the princess be 
called, and hear from her lips who is her rightful bridegroom, 
I or that deceiver! ” 

The king looked at him narrowly as he said these words, and 
as he looked he remembered that it was Marzi and no other 
who had offered to go and fetch the ring; but he said nothing, 

[183] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and led the poor soldier at once into the presence of the 
princess. 

They found the princess still in the deepest grief; but the 
moment her eye lighted on Marzi she sprang up and ran joy¬ 
fully toward him, crying: 

“ Here is my real bridegroom; it was to him I gave the ring, 
and to him alone the defeat of the enemy was due.” 

This declaration astonished every one greatly. The king was 
much embarrassed as to how he was to act, for he knew only 
that one of the men had offered to bring the ring, and that the 
other had actually brought it. 

Then the princess went and got her box in which she had 
treasured up Marzi’s tokens, and said to her father: “ Com¬ 
mand the rivals to change themselves in turn into a dove, a 
salmon, and a hare.” 

The king did as she asked, but the false bridegroom stood 
motionless, as if paralyzed by fear and terror. 

But of a sudden Marzi shook himself, and changing into a 
dove, he perched on the princess’s knee, and said: 

“ Princess dear, put my feathers back; 

One in each wing you’ll find I lack.” 

Then the princess took the two feathers out of her box and 
stuck them into the dove’s wings so that every one saw they 
belonged to the bird. 

In a minute the dove had shaken itself, and a silver salmon 
lay in its place, which said: 

“ Now, sweet princess, one boon I crave— 

Put back the silver scales I gave.” 

And the princess took the eight silver scales, and all eyes 
could see that they came off the fish’s back. Finally, the salmon 
shook itself and sprang in the form of a hare to the princess’s 
feet, and said: 

“ My bride so sweet, princess so fair, 

Give up the tail of the little hare.” 

[184] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Then every one saw with their own eyes that the hare had 
lost its tail, and that the one the princess took out of her little 
box fitted it exactly. And, last of all, the hare shook itself also, 
and Marzi stood before them all in his natural form. 

As soon as the king had heard his story, he had the false 
bridegroom caught and hung on the nearest gallows. The very 
next day the princess was married to her brave soldier; and 
never was there such a merry wedding. The king presented 
the kingdom he had conquered to Marzi, who was crowned 
king, and they all lived peacefully and happily to the end of 
their lives. 


[185] 


'The Gold-Spinners 

S~\ NCE ypon a time, in a large forest, there lived an old 
f J woman an d three maidens. They were all three beau- 
tiful, but the youngest was the fairest. Their hut was 
quite hidden by trees, and none saw their beauty but the sun 
by day, the moon by night, and the eyes of the stars. The 
old woman kept the girls hard at work, from morning till 
night, spinning gold flax into yarn, and when one distaff was 
empty another was given them, so that they had no rest. The 
thread had to be fine and even, and when done was locked up 
in a secret chamber by the old woman, who twice or thrice 
every summer went a journey. Before she went she gave 
out work for each day of her absence, and always returned 
in the night, so that the girls never saw what she brought 
back with her, neither would she tell them whence the gold 
flax came nor what it was to be used for. 

Now, when the time came round for the old woman to set 
out on one of these journeys, she gave each maiden work for 
six days, with the usual warning: “ Children, don’t let your 
eyes wander, and on no account speak to a man, for if you 
do your thread will lose its brightness and misfortunes of all 
kinds will follow.” They laughed at this oft-repeated caution, 
saying to each other: “ How can our gold thread lose its 
brightness, and have we any chance of speaking to a man ? ” 

On the third day after the old woman’s departure a young 
prince, hunting in the forest, got separated from his compan¬ 
ions and completely lost. Weary of seeking his way he flung 
himself down under a tree, leaving his horse to browse at will, 
and fell asleep. 

The sun had set when he awoke and began once more to try 

[186] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and find his way out of the forest. At last he perceived a nar¬ 
row foot-path, which he eagerly followed and found that it 
led him to a small hut. The maidens, who were sitting at 
the door of their hut for coolness, saw him approaching, and 
the two elder were much alarmed, for they remembered the 
old woman’s warning; but the youngest said: “Never before 
have I seen any one like him; let me have one look.” The elder 
ones entreated her to come in, but seeing that she would not, 
left her, and the prince, coming up, courteously greeted the 
maiden, and told her he had lost his way in the forest and was 
both hungry and weary. She set food before him, and was so 
delighted with his conversation that she forgot the old wom¬ 
an’s caution and lingered for hours. In the mean time the 
prince’s companions sought him far and wide, but to no pur¬ 
pose, so they sent two messengers to tell the sad news to the 
king, who immediately ordered a regiment of cavalry and one 
of infantry to go and look for him. 

After three days’ search they found the hut. The prince 
was still sitting by the door and had been so happy in the 
maiden’s company that the time had seemed like a single hour. 
Before leaving he promised to return and fetch her to his 
father’s court, where he would make her his bride. When 
he had gone she sat down to her wheel to make up for lost 
time, but was dismayed to find that her thread had lost all 
its brightness. Her heart beat fast and she wept bitterly, for 
she remembered the old woman’s warning and knew not what 
misfortune might now befall her. 

The old woman returned in the night and knew by the tar¬ 
nished thread what had happened in her absence. She was 
furiously angry and told the maiden that she had brought 
down misery both on herself and on the prince. The maiden 
could not rest for thinking of this. At last she could bear 
it no longer and resolved to seek help from the prince. 

As a child she had learned to understand the speech of 
birds, and this was now of great use to her, for seeing, a 
raven pluming itself on a pine bough, she cried softly to it: 
“ Dear bird, cleverest of all birds, as well as swiftest of wing, 

[187] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

wilt thou help me ? ” “ How can I help thee ? ” asked the 

raven. She answered: “ Fly away until thou comest to a 
splendid town where stands a king’s palace; seek out the 
king’s son and tell him that a great misfortune has befallen 
me.” Then she told the raven how her thread had lost its 
brightness, how terribly angry the old woman was, and how 
she feared some great disaster. The raven promised faith¬ 
fully to do her bidding, and spreading its wings flew away. 
The maiden now went home and worked hard all day at wind¬ 
ing up the yarn her elder sisters had spun, for the old woman 
would let her spin no longer. Toward evening she heard the 
raven’s “ Craa, craa ” from the pine-tree and eagerly hastened 
thither to hear the answer. 

By great good fortune the raven had found a wind wizard’s 
son in the palace garden who understood the speech of birds, 
and to him he had intrusted the message. When the prince 
heard it he was very sorrowful, and took counsel with his 
friends how to free his sweetheart. Then he said to the wind 
wizard’s son: “ Beg the raven to fly quickly back to the maiden 
and tell her to be ready on the ninth night, for then will I 
come and fetch her away.” The wind wizard’s son did this, 
and the raven flew so swiftly that it reached the hut that same 
evening. The maiden thanked the bird heartily and went 
home, telling no one what she had heard. 

As the ninth night drew near she became very unhappy, 
for she feared lest some terrible mischance should arise and 
ruin all. On the ninth night she crept out of the house and 
waited trembling at some little distance from the hut. Pres¬ 
ently she heard the muffled tramp of horses, and soon the 
armed troop appeared, led by the prince, who had prudently 
marked all the trees beforehand, in order to know the way. 
When he saw the maiden he sprang from his horse, lifted her 
into the saddle, and then, mounting behind, rode homeward. 
The moon shone so brightly that they had no difficulty in 
seeing the marked trees. 

By and by the coming dawn loosened the tongues of all 
the birds, and had the prince only known what they were 

[ 188 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

saying, or the maiden been listening, they might have been 
spared much sorrow, but they were thinking only of each other, 
and when they came out of the forest the sun was high in the 
heavens. 

Next morning, when the youngest girl did not come to her 
work, the old woman asked where she was. The sisters pre¬ 
tended not to know, but the old woman easily guessed what 
had happened, and as she was in reality a wicked witch, de¬ 
termined to punish the fugitives. Accordingly, she collected 
nine different kinds of enchanters’ nightshade, added some salt, 
which she first bewitched, and doing all up in a cloth into 
the shape of a fluffy ball, sent it after them on the wings of 
the wind, saying: 

" Whirlwind !—mother of the wind ! 

Lend thy aid ’gainst her who sinned I 
Take with thee this magic ball. 

Cast her from his arms forever, 

Bury her in the rippling river.” 

At midday the prince and his men came to a deep river, 
spanned by so narrow a bridge that only one rider could cross 
at a time. The horse on which the prince and the maiden 
were riding had just reached the middle when the magic ball 
flew by. The horse in its fright suddenly reared, and before 
any one could stop it flung the maiden into the swift cur¬ 
rent below. The prince tried to jump in after her, but his 
men held him back, and in spite of his struggles led him home, 
where for six weeks he shut himself up in a secret chamber, 
and would neither eat nor drink, so great was his grief. At 
last he became so ill that his life was despaired of, and in great 
alarm the king caused all the wizards of his country to be 
summoned. But none could cure him. At last the wind 
wizard’s son said to the king: “ Send for the old wizard from 
Finland; he knows more than all the wizards of your king¬ 
dom put together.” A messenger was at once sent to Finland, 
and a week later the old wizard himself arrived on the wings 
of the wind. “ Honored king,” said the wizard, “ the wind has 

[189] / 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

blown this illness upon your son and a magic ball has snatched 
away his beloved. This it is which makes him grieve so con¬ 
stantly. Let the wind blow upon him that it may blow away 
his sorrow.” Then the king made his son go out into the 
wind, and he gradually recovered and told, his father all. 
“ Forget the maiden,” said the king, “ and take another 
bride ”; but the prince said he could never love another. 

A year afterward he came suddenly upon the bridge where 
his beloved had met her death. As he recalled the misfortune 
he wept bitterly, and would have given all he possessed to have 
her once more alive. In the midst of his grief he thought he 
heard a voice singing, and looked round, but could see no 
one. Then he heard the voice again, and it said: 

“ Alas! bewitched and all forsaken, 

’Tis I must lie forever here! 

My beloved no thought has taken 
To free his bride, that was so dear.” 

He was greatly astonished, sprang from his horse, and looked 
everywhere to see if no one were hidden under the bridge; 
but no one was there. Then he noticed a yellow water-lily 
floating on the surface of the water, half-hidden by its broad 
leaves; but flowers do not sing, and in great surprise he 
waited, hoping to hear more. Then again the voice sang: 

“ Alas! bewitched and all forsaken, 

’Tis I must lie forever here! 

My beloved no thought has taken 
To free his bride, that was so dear.” 

The prince suddenly remembered the gold-spinners, and said 
to himself: “ If I ride thither, who knows but that they could 
explain this to me?” He at once rode to the hut and found 
the two maidens at the fountain. He told them what had 
befallen their sister the year before, and how he had twice 
heard a strange song, but yet could see no singer. They said 
that the yellow water-lily could be none other than their sister, 
who was not dead, but transformed by the magic ball. Be- 

[ 190] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

fore he went to bed the eldest made a cake of magic herbs, 
which she gave him to eat. In the night he dreamed that 
he was living in the forest and could understand all that the 
birds said to each other. Next morning he told this to the 
maidens, and they said that the charmed cake had caused it, 
and advised him to listen well to the birds and see what they 
could tell him, and when he had recovered his bride they 
begged him to return and deliver them from their wretched 
bondage. 

Having promised this, he joyfully returned home, and as 
he was riding through the forest he could perfectly under¬ 
stand all that the birds said. He heard a thrush say to a 
magpie: “ How stupid men are! they cannot understand the 
simplest thing. It is now quite a year since the maiden was 
transformed into a water-lily, and though she sings so sadly 
that any one going over the bridge must hear her, yet no one 
comes to her aid. Her former bridegroom rode Over it a few 
days ago and heard her singing, but was no wiser than the 
rest.” 

“ And he is to blame for all her misfortunes,” added the 
magpie. “ If he heeds only the words of men she will remain 
a flower forever. She were soon delivered were the matter 
only laid before the old wizard of Finland.” 

After hearing this, the prince wondered how he could get 
a message conveyed to Finland. He heard one swallow say 
to another: “ Come, let us fly to Finland; we can build better 
nests there.” 

“ Stop, kind friends! ” cried the prince. “ Will ye do some¬ 
thing for me?” The birds consented, and he said: “Take a 
thousand greetings from me to the wizard of Finland, and 
ask him how I may restore a maiden who has been changed 
into a flower to her own form.” 

The swallows flew away, and the prince rode on to the 
bridge. There he waited, hoping to hear the song. But he 
heard nothing but the rushing of the water and the moaning 
of the wind, and, disappointed, rode home. 

Shortly after he was sitting in the garden, thinking that 

[ 191 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the swallows must have forgotten his message, when he saw 
an eagle flying above him. The bird gradually descended until 
it perched on a tree close to the prince and said: “ The wizard 
of Finland greets thee and bids me say that thou mayst free 
the maiden thus: Go to the river and smear thyself all over 
with mud; then say, ‘ From a man into a crab/ and thou wilt 
become a crab. Plunge boldly into the water, swim as close 
as thou canst to the water-lily’s roots, and loosen them from 
the mud and reeds. This done, fasten thy claws into the roots 
and rise with them to the surface. Let the water flow all 
over the flower, and drift with the current until thou comest 
to a mountain ash-tree on the left bank. There is near it 
a large stone. Stop there and say, ‘ From a crab into a man, 
from a water-lily into a maiden/ and ye will both be re¬ 
stored to your own forms.” 

Full of doubt and fear, the prince let some time pass be¬ 
fore he was bold enough to attempt to rescue the maiden. 
Then a crow said to him: “ Why dost thou hesitate ? The 
old wizard has not told thee wrong, neither have the birds 
deceived thee; hasten and dry the maiden’s tears.” 

“ Nothing worse than death can befall me,” thought the 
prince, “ and death is better than endless sorrow.” So he 
mounted his horse and went to the bridge. Again he heard 
the water-lily’s lament, and hesitating no longer, smeared him¬ 
self all over with mud, and saying, “ From a man into a crab,” 
plunged into the river. For one moment the water hissed in 
his ears and then all was silent. He swam up to the plant 
and began to loosen its roots, but so firmly were they fixed 
in the mud and reeds that this took him a long time. He 
then grasped them and rose to the surface, letting the water 
flow over the flower. The current carried them down the 
stream, but nowhere could he see the mountain ash. At last 
he saw it, and close by the large stone. Here he stopped and 
said, “ From a crab into a man, from a water-lily into a 
maiden,” and to his delight found himself once more a prince, 
and the maiden was by his side. She was ten times more 
beautiful than before, and wore a magnificent pale yellow 

[ 192] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

robe sparkling with jewels. She thanked him for having freed 
her from the cruel witch’s power, and willingly consented to 
marry him. 

But when they came to the bridge where he had left his 
horse it was nowhere to be seen, for though the prince thought 
he had been a crab only a few hours, he had in reality been 
under the water for more than ten days. While they were 
wondering how they should reach his father’s court, they saw 
a splendid coach driven by six gaily caparisoned horses com¬ 
ing along the bank. In this they drove to the palace. The 
king and queen were at church, weeping for their son, whom 
they had long mourned for dead. Great was their delight and 
astonishment when the prince entered, leading the beautiful 
maiden by the hand. The wedding was at once celebrated, and 
there was feasting and merrymaking throughout the kingdom 
for six weeks. 

Some time afterward the prince and his bride were* sitting 
in the garden, when a crow said to them: “ Ungrateful crea¬ 
tures ! Have ye forgotten the two poor maidens who helped ye 
in your distress? Must they spin gold flax forever? Have 
no pity on the old witch. The three maidens are princesses, 
whom she stole away when they were children together, with 
all the silver utensils, which she turned into gold flax. Poison 
were her fittest punishment.” 

The prince was ashamed of having forgotten his promise 
and set out at once, and by great good fortune reached the 
hut when the old woman was away. The maidens had 
dreamed that he was coming and were ready to go with him, 
but first they made a cake in which they put poison, and left 
it on a table where the old woman was likely to see it when 
she returned. She did see it, and thought it looked so tempt¬ 
ing that she greedily ate it up and at once died. 

In the secret chamber were found fifty wagon-loads of gold 
flax, and as much more was discovered buried. The hut was 
razed to the ground, and the prince and his bride and her 
two sisters lived happily ever after. 


[ 193] 


The Story of the Hind in the Forest 

^^\NCE upon a time, there lived a king and queen, whose 
f J union was perfect; they loved each other tenderly, and 
V-X were adored by their subjects: one thing only was 
wanting to complete the felicity of both subjects and sov¬ 
ereigns ; and that was an heir to the throne. The queen, who 
was persuaded that her husband would love her still more 
fondly if she had a son, prayed continually to Heaven to bless 
her with one. 

One day, having taken a walk in a forest, the queen seated 
herself near a fountain; and, having desired her ladies to leave 
her alone, began her ordinary lamentations: “ Alas! how unfor¬ 
tunate I am, to have no children! ” she said. “ The poorest 
woman in my dominions is blessed with them; while I, though 
I have prayed day and night for the last five years for a son, 
am still denied this fondest wish of my heart.’ , 

As the queen thus spoke, she observed the water become 
troubled; and, almost immediately, an immense lobster appeared 
above its surface, and said: “ Great queen, your desire is at last 
about to be satisfied: you must know that there is near this 
spot a superb palace, built by the fairies, which, however, it is 
impossible for you to find, because it is surrounded by very 
thick clouds, which are impenetrable to the eyes of mortals; 
still, as I am your very humble servant, if you will trust your¬ 
self to the keeping of a poor lobster, I will conduct you to it.” 

The queen listened to this address in silence—for the nov¬ 
elty of hearing a lobster speak very much surprised her—but 
said she would accept the offer with pleasure, although she did 
not know how to walk backward. The lobster smiled, and, im¬ 
mediately taking the shape of a handsome little old woman,— 

[ 194] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Now, your majesty/’ she said, “ now we need not walk back¬ 
ward, eh? You will not refuse to accompany me now; and 
above all, regard me as your friend, for my sole desire is to be 
of service to you.” 

The little woman then stepped out of the fountain, attired in 
a beautiful white dress, lined with crimson, which, with her 
gray hair, decked out with green ribbons, was unspotted by the 
water; indeed, there never was a gayer looking old lady. She 
saluted the queen, and, having been embraced by her majesty, 
showed her, without further delay, a path in the forest, that not 
a little surprised her; for, though she had been there thousands 
and thousands of times before, she had never discovered it. In 
fact, how should she? It was the path by which the fairies 
always visited their fountain, and was generally choked up 
with thorns and brambles; but when the queen and her con¬ 
ductress appeared, rose-trees immediately burst into blossom, 
jasmine and orange-trees entwined their branches to form a 
bower, covered with leaves, and blooming with flowers, for 
their accommodation; violets sprang up wherever they placed 
their feet, and thousands of singing birds filled the air with a 
melodious concert. 

The queen had not recovered from her surprise when her 
eyes were struck by the unparalleled luster of a palace built en¬ 
tirely of diamonds: the walls, roof, ceilings, floors, staircases, 
balconies, and even the terraces—all were composed of that 
precious material. In the excess of her astonishment, she 
could not forbear asking the gay old lady, who accompanied 
her, whether what she saw were a dream or reality. “ Nothing 
can be more real, madam,” replied the fairy. As she spoke, the 
doors of the palace opened, and six fairies came from it; but 
what fairies! they were the most beautiful and most magnifi¬ 
cent that ever existed. They approached the queen, and, cour- 
tesying in the most graceful manner, presented her with a 
bouquet made of precious stones, containing a rose, a tulip, an 
anemone, a hyacinth, a pink, and an auricula. “ Madam,” said 
one of the fairies, addressing the queen, “ we cannot show you 
a greater mark of our perfect respect than by permitting you 

1195 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

to visit us in our palace; and we are most happy to announce 
to you that you will soon have a beautiful princess, whom you 
must christen Welcome, which we are sure she will be to you. 
Fail not, as soon as she is born, to call us to you; for we intend 
to endow her with all kinds of good qualities: you have only 
to take the bouquet we have given you, and name each of the 
six flowers, and be assured you will soon see us in your 
chamber.” 

The queen, transported with joy, threw herself on their 
necks, and their embracings lasted a full half-hour. They then 
entreated the queen to enter their palace, to which no descrip¬ 
tion can do justice. The fairies had procured an architect from 
the sun; and he had made their residence an exact miniature 
model of that luminary, so that the queen could hardly bear its 
dazzling luster, and was continually shutting her eyes. The 
fairies conducted their guest to the garden, which produced 
the finest fruits that were ever seen. There were apricots 
larger than one’s head, and cherries so large that to eat them 
it was necessary to divide them into quarters, and of such ex¬ 
quisite flavor that the queen never afterward cared to eat any 
others. 

To tell the queen’s transport, of how much she spoke of the 
little Princess Welcome, and how many times she thanked the 
amiable persons who had announced such agreeable news, is 
what I will not attempt; but I must say that no expression of 
affection and gratitude was wanting on her part. The Fairy 
of the Fountain, who was not neglected in the queen’s thanks, 
entreated her guest to remain until the evening in the palace; 
and, as her majesty was fond of music, her hosts, by their de¬ 
lightful singing, completed her enchantment; after which, 
loaded with presents, she retired, accompanied by the Fairy of 
the Fountain. 

Meanwhile the king and all the household were dreadfully 
alarmed at the queen’s absence, and a rigorous and anxious 
search was made, which, of course, ended unsuccessfully. As 
she was young and beautiful, it was feared that some audacious 
strangers had carried her off. Everybody about the court was 

1196] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

therefore overjoyed to see her return; and, as she was herself 
in excellent spirits, at the promises which had just been made 
to her, her conversation was so brilliant and agreeable that 
she charmed more than ever. 

In due time the queen became the mother of a princess, 
whom she immediately christened Welcome; then, taking the 
bouquet that had been given to her, she repeated the names of 
the flowers one by one, and the six fairies immediately arrived. 
They came in chariots, each constructed in a different style 
and of different materials: one was of ebony, drawn by white 
pigeons; another, of ivory, drawn by small ravens; the rest, 
of cedar, zebra, and other valuable woods. These were their 
equipages of amity and peace; for, when angry, they rode on 
flying dragons, or winged serpents, which shot fire from their 
mouths and eyes; or on winged lions, leopards, or panthers, 
which transported them through the air, from one end of the 
world to the other in less time than it takes to say Good-by or 
How d’ye do; but on this occasion they were in the best 
humor possible. 

They entered the queen’s chamber with a pleased and majes¬ 
tic air, followed by male and female dwarfs all bearing pres¬ 
ents. After they had embraced the queen and kissed the 
infant princess, they displayed the baby linen, the delicate ma¬ 
terial of which was spun by the fairies in their leisure hours, 
and, although fine as a web, was yet so good that it might have 
been used for a century; while the lace with which it was 
trimmed surpassed in quality, if possible, that of the web itself; 
and on it was worked the history of the whole world. The 
swaddling clothes and coverlets, which they had embroidered 
expressly for little Welcome, were worked, in the most lively 
colors, with thousands of different games at which children 
amuse themsqjves. Never, since embroidery was first practised, 
was seen such perfect work; but when the fairies produced the 
cradle, the queen exclaimed again with admiration, for it sur¬ 
passed all they had as yet shown her. It was made of so beau¬ 
tiful and uncommon a kind of wood, inlaid with mother of 
pearl, that its worth could not be estimated. Four little Cupids 

[ 19 7 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

bore it on their shoulders, and they were indeed four master¬ 
pieces of art, made entirely of diamonds and rubies, and so 
beautifully that no language can do justice to them. These 
little Cupids had been so far animated by the fairies that when 
the baby cried they rocked and soothed it to sleep, which cer¬ 
tainly was very convenient for the nurses. 

The fairies themselves took the little princess on their knees, 
dressed it, and kissed it a hundred times: she was already so 
handsome that it was impossible to see her without loving her. 
Observing that she required food, they struck the floor with 
their wands, and there immediately appeared a nurse, fitted in 
every respect to take charge of the amiable baby. It now only 
remained for them to endow the child, which the fairies has¬ 
tened to do. One gifted her with virtue, another with wit, 
the third with more than mortal beauty, the fourth with good 
fortune, the fifth promised her a long and healthy life, and the 
last, that she should do well whatever she attempted. 

The overjoyed queen was eloquently expressing her thanks 
for the favors that the fairies so liberally showered on her in¬ 
fant princess when an immense lobster entered the chamber. 
“ Ah! too ungrateful queen,” said the fish; “ so you have not 
deigned to remember me! Is it possible that you can so soon 
have forgotten the Fairy of the Fountain, and the kindness she 
did you in conducting you to her sisters? Why, having sum¬ 
moned them all, am I alone neglected? I had, however, a pre¬ 
sentiment of this ingratitude, and this induced me to appear as 
a lobster when I spoke to you for the first time, by which I 
meant to imply that your friendship, instead of advancing, 
would recede.” 

The queen, inconsolable for the fault she had committed, in¬ 
terrupted the Fairy of the Fountain to beg her pardon; saying, 
in excuse for her forgetfulness, that the fairy had neglected to 
name her flower like the others; that she was incapable of ever 
forgetting the obligations she had received at her hands, and 
concluded by entreating her not to withdraw her friendship, 
and, above all, not to injure the litttle princess. All the fairies, 
who feared that their offended sister would endow Welcome 

[198] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

with ill-luck and misfortunes, seconded the queen’s endeavors 
to soften her. “ Dear sister,” they said, “ permit us to entreat 
your highness not to be angry with a queen who never in¬ 
tended to displease you; pray lay aside your figure of a lob¬ 
ster, that we may see you again resplendent with all your 
charms.” 

The Fairy of the Fountain piqued herself on her good looks; 
the praises that her sisters bestowed on her, therefore, partly 
dissipated her anger. “ Well, sisters,” said she, “ I will not 
inflict upon the little Welcome all the evil that I had resolved; 
for it was my intention effectually to mar all your good gifts: 
you have, however, prevailed upon me to alter my mind; but I 
give you fair warning, that if she sees the light of day before 
she attain the age of fifteen years, she will have reason to re¬ 
pent it; nay, it may cost her her life.” Neither the queen’s 
tears nor the supplications of the other fairies could induce 
the incensed Fairy of the Fountain to alter this decree; and she 
retired backward, for she had not condescended to quit the 
figure of a lobster. 

When the fairy had left the chamber, the sorrowful queen 
asked the six fairies to inform her how she might preserve her 
daughter from the evils that threatened her. 

They held a council, and, after a lengthened and animated 
discussion, came to the unanimous opinion that the best plan 
would be to build a palace without doors or windows; with 
only one, and that a subterranean, entrance; and in this palace 
to bring up the princess until she should complete her fifteenth 
year. 

Three strokes with their wands sufficed to begin and finish 
a most superb edifice. Externally the walls were of green mar¬ 
ble, and internally of white; the floors and ceilings were of dia¬ 
monds and emeralds, disposed in the forms of flowers and 
birds, and innumerable pretty devices. The walls were hung 
with tapestry of different colors, embroidered by the fairies’ 
own hands; and, as they were well acquainted with history 
past, present, and to come, they depicted thereon its most re¬ 
markable personages and events, and among the rest the 

[ 199] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

heroic actions of the great King of France, Louis XIV, and the 
future glories of the reign of Victoria of England. 

The Princess Welcome’s residence was lighted by wax ta¬ 
pers only; but there was such an immense quantity of them 
that they made a perpetual day. Masters, requisite to perfect 
her education, were conducted by the fairies to her palace; but 
her natural wit and intelligence almost always anticipated their 
instructions; and they were continually charmed and aston¬ 
ished at the surprising things uttered by her, at an age when 
most children can hardly repeat their nurse’s name: verily, peo¬ 
ple are not endowed by fairies to remain ignorant and stupid. 

If her wit charmed all who were thrown into contact with 
her, her beauty was not less powerful in its effects, but de¬ 
lighted the most insensible. The kind fairies came from time 
to time to see her, and at every visit brought presents of the 
most costly and rare description—dresses so tastefully made, 
and of such precious materials, that they would have been suit¬ 
able even for a certain young queen, who is no less amiable than 
the princess of whom I speak. The fairies never came without 
reminding the queen of the importance of not permitting her to 
see the light of day before the prescribed time. “ Our sister 
of the fountain is vindictive,” they would say; “ and, however 
interested we may be for the welfare of your child, she will not 
fail to do her a mischief if she can; therefore, madam, you can¬ 
not be too vigilant on this point.” The queen prorhised to pay 
the utmost attention to their kind recommendations; but as the 
time approached when her beloved daughter would be able to 
quit her palace of confinement, she had her portrait taken, and 
sent copies of it to all the great courts in the world. To have 
beheld the beautiful Welcome’s portrait and not to have been 
charmed with it would have been impossible; but one young 
prince was so struck by its surpassing loveliness that he could 
not endure that it should be out of his sight. He shut himself 
up with it in his cabinet, and, speaking as though it were capa¬ 
ble of understanding him, addressed the most impassioned 
declarations to the beautiful resemblance. 

The king, no longer observing his son at his usual occupa- 
[ 2 oo ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

tions, inquired what had estranged him, and what it was that 
caused him to look less happy and cheerful than usual. Some 
courtiers, speaking too hastily (there are many of that char¬ 
acter) told his Majesty that they feared the prince had lost 
his senses, as he was in the habit of shutting himself up for 
whole days in his closet and talking to himself in the most ex¬ 
travagant terms. 

The king, alarmed at hearing this intelligence, said to his 
confidant: “ Is it possible that my son should have lost his rea¬ 
son—he who always displayed so much intelligence and wit? 

I have not observed any wildness in his looks, although he ap¬ 
pears somewhat thoughtful and melancholy; but I must talk 
with him; perhaps I may (discover what it is which affects 
him.” 

Accordingly, the king sent for his son, and asked him what 
had happened that his person and temper should have under¬ 
gone so sudden a change. The prince, thinking it a favorable 
opportunity, threw himself at his father’s feet. “ You have 
determined,” said he, “ to marry me to the Black Princess, and 
you would certainly derive advantages from my alliance with 
her, which I cannot promise you would result from my union 
I with the Princess Welcome; but, sir, I find charms in the latter 
that I shall never see in the former.” “ And how, pray, have 
you been able to make a comparison ? ” demanded the king. 

“ The portraits of both princesses have been brought to me,” 
replied Prince Valiant (so the young prince was called, in con¬ 
sequence of having greatly contributed to the achievement of 
three splendid victories) ; “ and I have conceived so violent a 
passion for the Princess Welcome that if you do not recall 
your promise made to the Black Princess, I must die; happy, 
however, to quit this life when all hope of possessing her I 
love is lost to me forever.” 

“ It is then with her portrait,” replied the king gravely, . 
“ that you hold conversations which render you ridiculous in 
the eyes of my courtiers: they think you insane; and if you 
knew how much the idea annoys me, you would be ashamed to 
display a weakness which gives countenance to such a report.” 

[201 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ I cannot reproach myself with any weakness/’ answered 
Valiant; “ when you shall have seen the portrait of the charm¬ 
ing princess, you will, I am sure, approve of my preference.” 
“ Go and fetch it immediately,” said the king, with an air of 
impatience, which showed he was not very well pleased. The 
prince would have been pained at this, but that he was certain 
that Welcome was the most beautiful princess in the world. He 
ran, therefore, to his closet, and returned with the portrait to 
the king, who was almost as much smitten by it as his son. 
“ Aha! ” said he, “ my dear Valiant, I grant you your desire; 
I shall grow young again myself, when I have so lovely a prin¬ 
cess at my court. I will immediately despatch ambassadors to 
the court of the Black Princess and recall my promise, though 
a war should be the consequence.” 

Valiant respectfully kissed his father’s hands, and repeatedly 
embraced his knees. He was so overjoyed that he did not look 
like the same person, and begged the king to despatch ambas¬ 
sadors not only to the Black Princess, but to Welcome; and 
that he would choose for the latter the richest and most intel¬ 
ligent of his courtiers, as it would be necessary to make some 
appearance on this occasion, and to urge his suit with more 
than ordinary eloquence. The king immediately sent for 
Becafica, a very learned, amiable, and rich young lord, the in¬ 
timate friend of Valiant. To please his friend, Becafica chose 
the grandest equipage and the handsomest livery imaginable; 
his diligence was extreme; for the prince’s love increased every 
day, and he unceasingly conjured his friend to hasten his de¬ 
parture. “ Believe me,” said he confidentially, “ when I say 
that my life depends on the success of your mission; that I am 
almost mad, when I think that the princess’s father may have 
entered into engagements with some more favored suitor, 
which he may be unwilling to break in my favor, and that Wel¬ 
come may thus be lost to me forever.” Becafica reassured Val¬ 
iant in order to gain time, for he was anxious to make as 
imposing an appearance as possible. His equipage consisted of 
eighty carriages resplendent with gold and diamonds; the most 
elaborately finished miniature could not be compared with the 

[ 202 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

paintings which ornamented them; there were likewise fifty 
other carriages, eighty thousand pages on horseback, more 
magnificent than princes; and the other parts of this sumptuous 
cortege were on an equally gorgeous scale. 

When the ambassador had his last audience with the prince, 
previous to his departure, the latter embraced him affection¬ 
ately. “ Remember, my dear Becafica,” he said, “ that my life 
depends on the marriage you are about to negotiate; use, then, 
all your eloquence to attain it for me, and to bring back with 
you the amiable princess whom I adore.” Valiant loaded his 
friend with a thousand presents for Welcome, in which gal¬ 
lantry surpassed costliness: they consisted of amorous devices 
engraved on diamond seals; watches in cases of carbuncle, 
bearing the initials of Welcome’s name; ruby bracelets carved 
in the shape of hearts; in short, it would fill volumes to relate 
all that he had imagined to please her. 

The ambassador carried with him Valiant’s portrait, painted 
by so skilful a man that it spoke, and could make witty and 
complimentary little speeches. It did not indeed reply to all 
that was said to or asked of it; nor was it necessary that it 
should, as Becafica promised to neglect nothing that might 
further the object of his embassy, adding that he should take 
such immense sums of money with him that, if the princess 
should be refused him by her father, he did not doubt but that 
he should still find some means of gaining over her women to 
enable him to carry her away. “ Ah! ” cried the prince, “ I 
cannot consent to that; the amiable Welcome would be of¬ 
fended by a proceeding so disrespectful.” To this observation 
Becafica made no answer, and forthwith set out. 

The report of his coming preceded the ambassador, and the 
king and queen were delighted with the news, as they esteemed 
and respected Valiant’s father, and were not unacquainted with 
the prince’s heroic actions and his rare personal merit, with 
which they were so satisfied that had they searched over the 
whole world for a husband for their daughter they could not 
have found one more worthy of her in their estimation. A pal¬ 
ace was accordingly prepared for Becafica’s reception, and all 

[203] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the necessary orders given for the court to appear in the utmost 
magnificence. 

The king and queen had decided that the ambassador should 
see Welcome, when the fairy Tulip sought out the queen and 
said to her: “Take care, madam, that Becafica be not intro¬ 
duced to our child (so she called the princess) at present, and 
do not be induced to consent to send her to the court of the 
king who is about to demand her in marriage for his son, 
before she shall have completed her fifteenth year; for, be as¬ 
sured, that if she leave the palace in which she now resides, 
some misfortune will befall her.” The queen embraced the 
good fairy Tulip, and promised to follow her advice; they im¬ 
mediately went to visit the princess. 

The ambassador arrived, his equipage taking twenty-three 
hours to proceed from the city gates to the palace; for he had 
six hundred thousand mules, shod with gold, and bearing 
small golden bells fastened to their necks, their trappings being 
of velvet and brocade embroidered with pearls. The streets 
through which they passed were completely blocked up by the 
dense crowd of spectators from all parts of the kingdom. The 
king and queen went out to meet Becafica, so pleased were they 
with his coming. It is useless to speak of the harangue that 
he made, or of the ceremonies that passed on both sides; they 
may easily be imagined; but when he begged permission to pay 
his respects to the princess, he was not a little surprised that 
this honor was refused him. “ If, my lord Becafica,” said the 
king to the ambassador, “ we refuse you a request which ap¬ 
pears so reasonable, be assured that it is not through caprice or 
want of respect, but from a strange fatality which attends our 
daughter, and of which we will inform you that you may act 
accordingly. 

“ A fairy, at the moment of her birth, threatened her with 
a very severe misfortune if she should by any chance see the 
light of day before she had attained the age of fifteen years; 
accordingly we have hitherto kept her in close confinement, in 
a palace, of which the finest apartments are underground. We 
had resolved that your excellency should visit her; but the 

[ 204 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

fairy Tulip, one of her guardians, has charged us on no account 
to allow you so to do.” “ Sire,” replied the ambassador, in as¬ 
tonishment, “ shall I then have the disappointment of returning 
without her? You will surely grant her in marriage to the 
prince, my master’s son; she is looked for at his court with the 
utmost impatience; and is it possible that you can be influenced 
by the ridiculous predictions of fairies? There is Prince 
Valiant’s portrait, which I have orders to present to your 
daughter: it is so excellent a likeness that I fancy I see him 
when I look upon it.” Thereupon Becafica displayed the por¬ 
trait, which immediately said: “ Charming Welcome, you can¬ 
not imagine with what eagerness I attend your coming: hasten 
to our court, to grace it with those charms which render you 
incomparable.” Then the portrait was silent, and the king and 
queen were so surprised that they entreated Becafica to allow 
them to present it to the princess. The ambassador, overjoyed 
at this request, readily transferred it into their hands. 

Hitherto the queen had not mentioned to her daughter what 
was passing, and had, moreover, forbidden Welcome’s atten¬ 
dants to say a word on the subject of the ambassador’s arrival. 
This, of course, was enough to make them tell her all about it, 
and the princess soon knew the whole history of the intended 
marriage; but she was sufficiently prudent not to hint such 
knowledge to her mother. Still, when the queen showed Wel¬ 
come the portrait of the young prince, which immediately 
spoke, and paid the princess a compliment as elegant as it was 
appropriate, she was much astonished; for she had never seen 
a talking portrait before, nor indeed one of so handsome a 
young man as Valiant, whose regular features and refined air 
charmed her as much as the homage paid to herself. “ Should 
you be sorry,” said the queen, laughing, “ to have a husband 
resembling this portrait?” “Madam,” replied Welcome, like 
a good girl, “ it is not for me to make a choice; I shall be cer¬ 
tainly satisfied with the husband on whom you shall think fit 
to bestow me.” “ But,” added the queen, “ tell me, if the 
original of this portrait were our choice, should you not esteem 
yourself as fortunate ? ” Welcome blushed, cast down her 

[205 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

eyes, and made no answer. The queen embraced her tenderly, 
and could not forbear shedding tears to think that she was on 
the point of parting with her, for it only wanted three months 
to complete her fifteenth year. Concealing her uneasiness, how¬ 
ever, the queen informed her daughter of the object of Becafi- 
ca’s embassy, and gave her presents that he had brought from 
Valiant. Welcome could not but admire them, and praised 
with much taste the most curious among them; but her eyes 
wandered from time to time to gaze on the portrait of Prince 
Valiant, which she contemplated with a pleasure which had 
until then been unknown to her. 

Meanwhile the ambassador, finding that all his entreaties 
failed to induce the king to allow Welcome to return with him 
to his court, and that he could only obtain the promise of her 
hand for Valiant (though that promise was given so solemnly 
that he could not doubt the king’s intention to fulfil it), made 
but a short stay with the king, and hurried home to inform his 
royal masters of the result of his mission. 

When the prince learned that he could not hope to see his 
beloved Welcome for more than three months to come, his 
lamentations afflicted all the court; he took neither food nor 
rest, and became sorrowful and thoughtful. His brilliant com¬ 
plexion gave way to wan cheeks and sunken eyes, and he 
remained whole days in his closet reclining on a sofa and gaz¬ 
ing on the portrait of his princess. He wrote the most impas¬ 
sioned verses, which he presented to the insensible canvas, as 
if it had been capable of reading them. At last his strength 
completely left him, and he was gradually wasting away with 
an illness which neither physicians nor surgeons could remove. 

The king’s grief was excessive, for he was dotingly fond of 
his son, whom he feared he was now on the point of losing. 
What an affliction for a tender parent! In this great extremity 
he resolved to visit the king and queen, who had promised their 
daughter to Valiant, to entreat them to have pity on the prince, 
in the condition to which he was reduced, and to defer no 
longer a marriage which could never take place if they were 
resolved on waiting till the princess was fifteen years of age. 

[206] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Unfortunately, there was one difficulty which was insurmount¬ 
able ; it was that his great age obliged him to travel in a litter 
—a mode of conveyance which accorded but ill with his son’s 
impatience: the trusty Becafica was therefore despatched in 
advance, charged with the most touching epistles, in which 
Prince Valiant conjured the king and queen to yield to his 
wishes. 

Meanwhile, Welcome received as much pleasure in the con¬ 
templation of the prince’s portrait as Valiant had in regarding 
her own. She was continually in the chamber in which it 
hung, and, careful as she was to conceal her sentiments, her 
attendants were not slow in perceiving their direction; and 
among others Flora and Narcissa, two of her maids of honor, 
soon observed the uneasiness that had begun to trouble her. 
Flora passionately loved her mistress and was faithful to her; 
but Narcissa had always felt a secret envy of Welcome’s 
beauty, birth, and accomplishments. Narcissa’s mother, hav¬ 
ing educated the princess, had afterward become her mistress 
of the robes. As her instructress, she ought indeed to have 
loved Welcome as the most amiable child in the world; but, 
doting on her daughter, and perceiving the hatred the latter 
bore toward the beautiful princess, her feelings had become 
estranged from her pupil. 

The ambassador who had been despatched to the court of 
the Black Princess did not, as you may suppose, experience a 
very flattering reception when he made known the object of 
his embassy. The Ethiopian princess, who was the most vin¬ 
dictive creature in the world, was extremely indignant that, 
after having entered into engagements with her, she should be 
treated with so little respect. Her royal highness had seen and 
become enamored of a portrait of Prince Valiant; and Ethio¬ 
pians, when once they conceive a passion, are more extrava¬ 
gant in their ardor than any other nation under the sun. 
“ What, Master Ambassador,” said the princess, “ does your 
master think I am not sufficiently rich or handsome? Make a 
tour of my kingdom and you will find that it is aa extensive 
one; visit my royal treasury and you will behold more gold 

[207] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

than the mines of Peru can furnish; behold, too, the rich black 
of my complexion, this well-turned nose, these pouting lips, 
and deny, if you can, my claims to beauty.” “ Madam,” re¬ 
plied the ambassador, who dreaded the bastinado—for they did 
not treat ambassadors ceremoniously among the Ethiopians— 
“ I blame my master as much as a subject dare; and if Heaven 
had placed me on the first throne in the world, I know too well 
with whom I should have wished to share it.” “ These words 
have saved your life,” said the Black Princess. “ I had deter¬ 
mined to begin my revenge on you; but it would be unjust to 
do so, as you are not the cause of your master’s crime. Hasten 
whence you came and tell your master that I am very happy to 
break with him, and that he is king of an unworthy people.” 
The ambassador, who wished for nothing better than his dis¬ 
missal, profited by it to hasten from Ethiopia as fast as he 
could. 

But the Black Princess was too deeply offended with Prince 
Valiant to forgive him so easily. Having seated herself in an 
ivory chariot, drawn by four ostriches, which traveled at the rate 
of ten leagues an hour, she hastened to the palace of the Fairy 
of the Fountain, who was her godmother and best friend. She 
related what had transpired, and entreated the fairy to assist 
her in her revenge. Sensible of the cause of her goddaughter’s 
grief, the Fairy of the Fountain consulted her book, which told 
everything, and immediately perceived that Prince Valiant had 
only given up the Black Princess for the sake of Princess Wel¬ 
come ; that he was passionately in love with the latter, and that 
the sole cause of his present illness was his impatience to see 
her. When the Fairy of the Fountain was aware of this, her 
anger, which as we have said had been somewhat softened, 
now became as strong as ever. As she had not seen Welcome 
since her birth, it is probable that she would have done her no 
further mischief if the revengeful Black Princess had not now 
recalled her to her recollection. “ What! ” cried she, “ and is 
this wretched Welcome always to thwart me? No, charming 
princess, no, my darling, I will not allow any one to affront you: 
all the elements are interested in this business: return to your 

[208] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

court, and rely on your dear godmother.” The Black Prin¬ 
cess thanked her and retired, after making her a present of 
flowers and fruits, with which she was very well pleased. 

We left the ambassador Becafica advancing with all dili¬ 
gence toward the capital where Welcome’s father held his 
court. Having arrived, he sought out the royal apartment, 
threw himself at the king and queen’s feet, and, his eyes filled 
with tears, informed them, in the most moving terms, that 
Prince Valiant would surely die if they still refused to grant 
him the pleasure of seeing their daughter; that it only wanted 
three months to complete her fifteenth year, and that surely no 
harm could befall her in so short a space of time. He added 
that he trusted they would excuse the liberty he was about to 
take in telling them that such implicit belief in the promises or 
threats of insignificant fairies was unbecoming their royal dig¬ 
nity: in short, Becafica was so eloquent that he carried his 
point. The king and queen wept at hearing his account of the 
sorrowful condition to which the young prince was reduced, 
and told his excellency that they yielded, and would take only 
a day or two to consider in what manner his wishes could best 
be accomplished. But this did not satisfy Becafica; he told 
them again to what extremity his master was reduced; and 
that, if they wished to save his life, an hour or two must suffice 
for their preparations. Their majesties accordingly assured 
the ambassador that he should know their determination that 
evening. 

The queen hastened to her beloved daughter’s palace to in¬ 
form her of all that had passed. Welcome’s grief was ex¬ 
cessive on hearing of Valiant’s illness: her heart beat violently, 
and she fainted away, thus exposing to the queen the extent 
of her passion for the prince. “ Do not afflict yourself, my 
dear child,” said her majesty; “ his cure depends on you alone; 
I am only alarmed at the Fairy of the Fountain’s threats.” “ I 
trust, my dear madam,” answered Welcome, “ that, by taking 
every precaution, we may avoid the malice of the vindictive 
fairy. Can I not, for instance, travel in a carriage so closely 
shut up as not to admit daylight ? They might open it at night 

1209] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

to give me food, and I should thus arrive in time to save Prince 
Valiant’s life, and yet incur no danger.” 

The queen liked the idea which love had suggested to the 
princess, and communicated it to his majesty, by whom it was 
also approved. Becafica was therefore informed that Welcome 
would set out immediately, and that he might hasten back to 
his master with the intelligence; but, as no time was to be lost, 
they would not be able to prepare such magnificent clothes for 
the princess as they could wish, or an equipage suitable to her 
rank. The ambassador, transported with joy, once more threw 
himself at their majesties’ feet, to express his gratitude, and set 
out to return without having seen the princess. 

Separation from the king and queen would have been in¬ 
supportable to Welcome had she been less prepossessed in 
favor of the prince; but there are some emotions which stifle 
almost all others. For her accommodation, a carriage was 
built of costly wood, covered with green velvet and plates of 
gold, and lined with rose-colored brocade embroidered with 
silver. It was large and commodious, but had no windows, 
and the door was contrived to shut so closely that there was 
not a crevice left by which the smallest ray of light might enter, 
while a peer of the realm had charge of the keys. The king 
and queen then presented Welcome with some fine clothes and 
jewelry; and, after bidding adieu to her parents and the court¬ 
iers, who were overwhelmed with grief at parting with her, 
she was locked up in the dark carriage with her maids of 
honor, Narcissa and Flora. 

Perhaps our readers have not forgotten that Narcissa did 
not like the Princess Welcome; they must now be informed 
that she was passionately in love with Valiant, whose speaking 
portrait she had seen. So deeply was she affected that, before 
setting out with Welcome, she told her mother she could never 
survive the princess’s union with the prince; and that if she 
wished to preserve her daughter, she must manage to break off 
the intended marriage. The mistress of the robes told her 
daughter not to afflict herself, as she had no doubt of finding 
some means to render her happy. 

[ 210 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

On parting with her clear child, the queen recommended her 
most strenuously to the care of the wicked mother of Narcissa. 
“ What a treasure have I placed under your charge! ” she said. 
“ My child is dearer to me than my life. Watch, then, tenderly 
over her, and take especial care that she see not the light of 
day, for, if she do, you know with what misfortunes she is 
menaced: I have made arrangements with Prince Valiant’s am¬ 
bassador that, until the remaining weeks of her fifteenth year 
shall have expired, she may reside in a castle lighted only by 
wax tapers.” The queen then made the mistress of the robes 
several handsome presents, in order to induce her to observe 
her instructions more exactly, at the same time exacting a 
promise from her that she would be faithful, and send a good 
account of the princess immediately on her arrival. 

The king and queen, trusting to her attendant’s vigilance, 
felt no uneasiness on their dear daughter’s account; and their 
confidence in her safety served in some sort to moderate the 
grief occasioned by her departure. But Narcissa, who learned 
from the servants who opened the carriage door every night at 
supper-time that they were drawing near the court of Valiant’s 
father, where they were hourly expected, now pressed her 
mother on the subject, lest the king or the prince should come 
to meet the princess and thus frustrate their designs. Accord¬ 
ingly, about noon the next day, the wicked mistress of the robes 
produced a large knife, which she had brought with her on 
purpose, and suddenly cut a large hole in the roof of the car¬ 
riage. The sun was shining brilliantly at the moment, and for 
the first time Welcome saw its light. In a moment the un¬ 
fortunate princess uttered a deep sigh, and was metamorphosed 
into a white hind. She bounded through the aperture in the 
roof of the carriage, and was soon lost in a neighboring forest, 
where she sought a shady thicket, in which, unobserved, she 
might regret the charming form of which she had been so cru¬ 
elly deprived. 

The Fairy of the Fountain, who had contrived this cruelty, 
observing that the princess’s attendants hastened, some in pur¬ 
suit of their metamorphosed mistress and others to the town, 

[ 211 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

to give Prince Valiant notice of what had occurred, seemed, in 
the transport of her anger, to attempt the destruction of all na¬ 
ture. Flashes of forked lightning darted through the sky, fol¬ 
lowed by deafening peals of thunder, that terrified the stoutest 
hearts, in the midst of which the incensed fairy transported the 
princess’s cortege to an immense distance from the scene 
of their mistress’s misfortune, and each attendant in a different 
direction. 

There remained only with the carriage Narcissa, her mother, 
and Flora. The last ran into the forest, in the direction she 
had seen her mistress take, making the rocks and leafy avenues 
reecho with her lamentations, while Narcissa and her mother, 
overjoyed to have regained their liberty, lost not a moment in 
putting their designs into execution. Narcissa dressed herself 
in Welcome’s most magnificent clothes. The royal robes, 
although not made expressly for the princess’s wedding, were 
still rich and costly beyond description, and the crown was set 
with diamonds twice or thrice as large as one’s hand; the 
scepter was made of a single ruby; and the ball, held on state 
occasions in the left hand, was made of one pearl as large as a 
cricket ball, and was consequently of enormous value, and in 
accordance with the princess’s great beauty and worth. Thus 
dressed in Welcome’s robes, and followed by her mother, bear¬ 
ing her train, Narcissa proceeded toward the capital. The 
counterfeit princess walked very slowly, confident that she 
should be met ere she reached the city; nor was she disap¬ 
pointed; for she had not advanced many steps when she ob¬ 
served a numerous body of horsemen, surrounding two litters 
glittering with gold and precious stones, and borne by mules, 
wearing plumes of green feathers. The king and the sick 
prince, who were in the litters, could not tell what to make of 
the ladies whom they perceived coming toward them. Some 
of the courtiers in advance of the troop, who galloped up to 
them, judged, from the magnificence of their dress, that they 
must be persons of rank. They accordingly alighted, and ac¬ 
costed them respectfully. “ Will you have the goodness to in¬ 
form me,” said Narcissa to them, “ who are in those litters?” 

[212] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Madam,” answered the cavaliers, “ the king of these realms, 
and the prince his son, who are coming to meet the Princess 
Welcome.” “ In that case,” said Narcissa, “ I entreat you to 
inform them she is here. A malicious fairy, envious of my 
happiness, has dispersed my equipage in a terrible storm of 
thunder and lightning; consequently, my only attendant is my 
mistress of the robes, who is fortunately in possession of the 
king, my father’s letters and my jewelry.” 

On hearing this, the courtiers kissed the hem of Narcissa’s 
robe, and hastened back to inform the king that the princess 
was at hand. “What!” cried his majesty, “the princess on 
foot, and at midday! ” Then the horsemen related to the king 
all they had just heard from Narcissa. Prince Valiant, burn¬ 
ing with impatience, called them to his side, and immediately 
addressing them, “ Confess,” said he, “ that she is a miracle of 
beauty, an angel, an all-accomplished princess.” Their silence 
not a little surprised the prince. “ Seeing that she is beyond 
all praise, I suppose you prefer saying nothing,” he continued. 
“ My lord,” said the most courageous of them, “ you will soon 
be able to judge for yourself; perhaps the fatigue of traveling 
has altered her appearance.” The prince was all astonishment, 
and, had he been less weak than he was, would have sprung 
from the litter to satisfy his impatience and curiosity. But the 
king alighted, and advancing, surrounded by his courtiers, 
soon joined the counterfeit princess: no sooner, however, did 
he obtain a glimpse of her features than he uttered a loud cry 
and exclaimed, falling back a few steps, “What do I see? 
What treachery is this ? ” “ Sire,” said the mistress of the 

robes, stepping boldly forward, “ behold the Princess Wel¬ 
come; here are her parents’ letters, which I deliver into your 
hands, together with the casket of jewels which they intrusted 
to my keeping previous to our departure.” 

In the mean time the prince, leaning on Becafica, drew near 
Narcissa. Mercy on us! what was his astonishment when he 
beheld her revolting and extraordinary figure! She was so 
tall that the princess’s clothes hardly covered her knees; she 
was as thin as a lath, and her nose, more crooked than a par- 

[213] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

rot’s bill, was as red as a mulberry; her teeth were the blackest 
and most irregular ever seen; in short, she was as ugly as Wel¬ 
come was beautiful. 

The prince, whose mind was solely occupied by the idea of 
his charming princess, was for some time dumb with astonish¬ 
ment at the sight of her wretched representative. At last, turn¬ 
ing to the king, “ I am betrayed,” said he; “ the wondrous por¬ 
trait which has captivated my heart is no likeness of this person ; 
we are the victims of a stratagem which will cost me my life.” 
“ I do not understand you, my lord,” said Narcissa. “ You 
will not be deceived in marrying me.” Her arrogance and im¬ 
pudence were unparalleled, while her wicked mother seconded 
her daughter most worthily. “ Ha! my fair princess,” cried 
she, “ where are we ? Is this the way to receive a person of 
your rank? What can be the meaning of such gross miscon¬ 
duct ? But the king your father will know how to obtain sat¬ 
isfaction ! ” “ That is for us to demand,” replied the king; 

“ he promised us a lovely princess, and he sends us a frightful 
mummy; I am no longer astonished that he should have been 
so careful to conceal this rare beauty for fifteen years; he had 
a mind to entrap some one into marriage with her, and my son 
has been unfortunate enough to be his first dupe. However, 
vengeance is in our power.” 

“ What an affront! ” cried the counterfeit princess; “ un¬ 
fortunate girl that I am, to have accepted the proposals of such 
people! All this fuss because my portrait is painted a little 
more beautiful than I really am! Why, that happens every 
day. If princes, for such trifles, always sent back their brides, 
there would be but few royal marriages.” 

The king and the prince were too indignant to make any re¬ 
mark to this insolence, but reentered their litters without fur¬ 
ther ceremony; while the false princess and her mistress of the 
robes, mounted on horseback behind two of the bodyguard, 
were carried to the capital, and, by the king’s orders, confined 
in the Black Tower. 

Prince Valiant was so overwhelmed by the disappointment 
he had just experienced that no words could express his afflic- 

[214] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

tion. How bitterly did he bewail his hard fate! His love was 
still passionate as ever, although its object was now only a por¬ 
trait. All his hopes were blighted; all the charming ideas that 
had filled his mind with regard to Welcome had suddenly van¬ 
ished, for he would have preferred death itself to a union with 
her whom he believed to be that princess; in a word, never was 
grief equal to his. No longer able to endure his father’s court, 
he resolved, so soon as his health should permit him to retire, 
to find some solitary place where he might pass the remainder 
of his sorrowful days. 

He communicated his design to his faithful Becafica, who, 
he was convinced, would share his flight, and with whom he 
found a melancholy satisfaction in discoursing of the injury he 
had received. In a short time he set out, leaving on his closet 
table a long letter for the king his father, in which he assured 
his majesty that when his heart should have recovered from 
the shock it had received, he would return to court; entreating 
him, meanwhile, not to lose sight of their common vengeance, 
and to keep the ugly princess a close prisoner. 

It is easy to imagine the king’s grief when one morning 
this letter was put into his hands: the separation from his be¬ 
loved son nearly cost him his life; but while the courtiers were 
occupied in soothing his majesty’s affliction, Valiant and Becaf¬ 
ica were hastening on their journey. At the end of three days 
they came to a vast forest, where the trees afforded so delight¬ 
ful a shade, and the turf was so green and flowery, that the 
prince, fatigued with traveling, being still far from well, 
alighted from his horse and threw himself sorrowfully on the 
bank of a rivulet. “ While your lordship reposes,” said Becaf¬ 
ica, “ I will seek for some fruit, and reconnoiter what part of 
the world we have lighted on.” The prince made no answer, 
but silently acceded to Becafica’s proposal. 

We have not spoken for a long time of the hind in the wood, 
or, rather, the incomparable Princess Welcome. Having left 
the carriage as described, she stopped at a clear fountain in the 
forest, and was lamenting her sorrowful destiny when she ob¬ 
served her shadow in the water. “ What do I see ? ” said she. 

[ 2I 5 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Alas! alas! I am surely brought to a more miserable condi¬ 
tion than ever the malice of a fairy reduced an innocent prin¬ 
cess like myself! How long must I endure this dreadful 
change? Whither must I fly for protection from the lions, 
bears, and wolves ? And can I then live on grass ? ” Thus she 
continued to exclaim, her grief continually augmenting, until 
it became almost unbearable. The only consolation she had, if 
indeed that were a consolation, was to know that her beauty as 
a hind was equal to her loveliness as a princess. 

At last, feeling hungry, she began to nibble the grass, and 
found it so much to her taste that she ate with good appetite, 
not a little surprised at the novelty of her food. She then lay 
down on the turf; but her terror, when night came on, effectu¬ 
ally prevented her from sleeping. She heard the wild beasts of 
the forest howling around her for their prey, and frequently, 
forgetting that she was a hind, endeavored to climb a tree. 
Becoming a little calmer toward daybreak, she saw, for the 
first time in her life, the sun rise in all his glory, and was so 
struck with admiration at its brilliancy that she could not 
withdraw her eyes from it, and for a time forgot her metamor¬ 
phosis. All she had heard of its splendor fell far short of the 
reality of what she now witnessed; and gazing on the sun be¬ 
came a consolation she had not hoped for in that desert place, 
where she remained for several days. 

The fairy Tulip was sensibly afflicted at Welcome’s misfor¬ 
tune, although extremely vexed that the queen should have 
taken so little notice of her admonitions; for she had told her 
repeatedly that, if the princess left her palace before she had 
completed her fifteenth year, some accident would certainly be¬ 
fall her. The amiable Tulip would not therefore abandon her 
favorite to the mercy of the Fairy of the Fountain, and di¬ 
rected Flora toward the forest, that she might console her mis¬ 
tress in her sufferings. 

Flora had seated herself under a shady tree, on the bank of a 
rivulet, and was sorrowfully considering what direction she 
should take in search of her dear mistress when the white hind, 
perceiving her from the opposite bank, on which she had been 

[216] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

leisurely walking, with one bound cleared the stream, and, run¬ 
ning up to Flora, covered her with caresses. The maid of 
honor was astonished at being so unexpectedly accosted; but, 
on looking more attentively in the hind’s face was still more 
surprised to observe large tears coursing each other down its 
cheeks. She no longer doubted that it was her beloved prin¬ 
cess. She took its feet in her hands, and kissed them with as 
much respect and tenderness as she would have kissed the prin¬ 
cess’s hands. She spoke affectionately to the hind, and per¬ 
ceived with joy that it understood her, although it could not 
answer her; and tears and sighs now redoubled on both sides. 
Flora promised her mistress never to forsake her, and the hind 
made signs, as well as she could, that she should be very glad 
of her maid’s company. 

The metamorphosed princess and her maid of honor re¬ 
mained thus together nearly all day, when Welcome, recollect¬ 
ing that her faithful Flora must be hungry, conducted her to 
a part of the wood in which she had observed some wild fruit- 
trees. Flora quickly gathered the fruit, which was not bad; 
but, having satisfied her hunger, she became very uneasy as to 
where they should pass the night; for the idea of remaining in 
the open forest, exposed to the night air and to wild beasts, 
seemed out of the question. “ Are you not terrified, charming 
hind ? ” said she, “ at remaining all night in the wood ? ” The 
hind turned her eyes toward Heaven, and sighed deeply. 
“ But, as you have traversed a part of this vast forest,” con¬ 
tinued the maid of honor, “ are there no huts, no charcoal- 
burners, no wood-cutters, not even a hermitage to be found ? ” 
The hind shook her head, intimating that she had seen nothing 
of the kind. “ Alas! ” cried Flora, “ I shall never live through 
the night; for, if by good fortune I am not attacked by tigers 
or bears, fear alone will kill me. But think not, dearest prin¬ 
cess, that I regret this on my own account; it is for your sake 
alone I fear to die: to leave you in this desert place, bereft of 
all consolation—can anything be more dreadful ? ” The little 
hind wept sufficiently to show that she had still a sensible 
heart. 


[217] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Her tears moved the fairy Tulip, who, as we have said, still 
loved Welcome tenderly; so, suddenly rendering herself visi¬ 
ble, “ I am not come to scold you,” said she; “ the condition to 
which you are reduced gives me too much pain.” The hind 
and Flora interrupted the fairy by throwing themselves at her 
feet: the former kissed Tulip’s hands and caressed her fondly, 
while Flora entreated her to take pity on the princess and re¬ 
store her to her natural shape. “ That is not altogether in my 
power,” answered the fairy; “ but I can shorten the time of her 
punishment, and will enable her, until it has expired, to quit 
her present form at the close of the day; but, as soon as the 
morning appears, she must again become a hind, and wander 
through the woods and plains like other deer.” 

This was a great relief to the unhappy princess, who testified 
her joy by skips and bounds, which pleased the kind Tulip. 
“ Follow this footpath,” said the fairy; “ it will take you to a 
little cabin, fairly well furnished for such an out-of-the-way 
place.” She then disappeared, and Flora, accompanied by the 
hind, immediately taking the direction pointed out by the fairy, 
presently came to a small cottage, at the door of which was 
seated an old woman, who was making a wicker basket. “ Good 
mother,” said Flora, “ will you have the kindness to accommo¬ 
date myself and my hind for the night in your cottage? We 
require but a little room between us.” “Yes, daughter,” an¬ 
swered the good dame, “ I will give you a lodging with pleas¬ 
ure ; come in, and bring your hind with you.” With that she 
showed them into a very pretty little room, wainscoted with 
cherry wood, in which stood two small beds with dimity fur¬ 
niture, fine sheets, and all so nice and clean that the princess 
afterward declared she had never seen an apartment more to 
her taste. 

At nightfall Welcome, as she had been promised by the 
fairy, resumed her natural shape. She tenderly embraced her 
dear Flora, thanked her for the affection that had induced her 
to follow and share her fortunes, and promised to reward her 
when her penance should be completed. 

After a while the old woman knocked softly at their door, 

[218] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and, without entering the room, gave Flora a basket of fine ripe 
fruit, of which the princess made a hearty supper, and they 
then retired to bed. In the morning Welcome again became 
a hind, and began scratching at the door for Flora to let her 
out. After an affectionate parting, although it was only for 
a short time, the hind entered the thickest part of the neighbor¬ 
ing forest. 

I have said that Prince Valiant stopped in the forest, and 
that Becafica left him in search of fruit. About nightfall he 
arrived at the cottage of the good old woman who had shel¬ 
tered Welcome and Flora, and very civilly begged the old lady 
to give him something for his master’s refreshment. Accord¬ 
ingly, she filled a basket with fruit, and having given it to 
Becafica, said: “ I fear that, if you pass the night in the open 
forest, some misfortune will befall you. You are welcome to 
a room in my cottage, which, although poor, will at least pro¬ 
tect you from wild beasts.” Becafica thanked her, and said 
that he and his companion would accept her hospitality. He 
then returned to Prince Valiant, whom he succeeded in per¬ 
suading to accompany him to the cottage. They found the old 
woman at her door, and she quietly led them to a room exactly 
like that occupied by Flora and the hind, and separated from it 
by a thin partition only. 

Prince Valiant passed a restless night, as usual. As soon as 
the sun’s first rays shone on the windows of his room he arose, 
and, to divert his sorrow, walked into the forest, telling Becaf¬ 
ica not to accompany him. He walked about a long while, 
heedlessly, and presently came to a shady thicket, from which 
there immediately rushed a white hind. Valiant could not for¬ 
bear pursuing it, for the chase was his favorite exercise; and, 
although he had not hunted lately, he still carried his bow. His 
enthusiasm returning, he started off warmly in pursuit, and 
from time to time shot arrows at the poor hind, which almost 
frightened her to death. Protected by the fairy Tulip, how¬ 
ever, she escaped them all, though Valiant was so excellent a 
marksman that nothing less than the powerful arm of a fairy 
could have preserved her life. Never was any one so tired as 

[219] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

our royal hind: at last, almost exhausted, she suddenly and 
dexterously turned into a pathway, and so baffled her pursuer. 

The hind was very glad when twilight came, and turned her 
steps toward the cottage, where Flora impatiently awaited her. 
When she reached her apartment, she threw herself, out of 
breath, and covered with perspiration, on the bed, while her 
attendant caressed her tenderly, almost dying with anxiety to 
know what had happened to her in the forest. Night having 
set in, the beautiful princess resumed her natural shape; when, 
throwing her arms round her favorite’s neck, “ Alas! ” said 
she, “ I thought I had only to fear the Fairy of the Fountain, 
and the cruel tenants of the forest; but I have been pursued 
to-day by a young huntsman, whom I hardly saw, in my pre¬ 
cipitation to escape from his arrows, which he shot at me re¬ 
peatedly; and I know not by what miracle I have been pre¬ 
served from death.” “ You must not go into the forest again, 
my princess,” replied Flora: “ pass in this chamber the fatal 
period of your penance; I will go to the nearest town to pur¬ 
chase books for your amusement. We will read charming 
tales together, or we will compose songs and sonnets.” “ Nay, 
books would be unnecessary, my dear Flora,” answered the 
princess; “the alluring idea of Prince Valiant is sufficient to 
employ my thoughts agreeably. But, unfortunately, the same 
power that reduced me to the condition of a hind compels me, 
in spite of myself, to scour the plains, to leap across brooks and 
fences, and to eat grass like other hinds; consequently, the 
confinement of a chamber would be insupportable.” Then, 
having acquired a good appetite by her violent exercise, she 
asked for her supper, and after she had eaten it went to sleep, 
and slept soundly until the next morning at daybreak, when 
she again sought the forest. 

Meanwhile the prince, returning in the evening to rejoin 
Becafica, said to him: “ I have spent my time in chasing the 
loveliest hind I ever saw; she gave me the slip a hundred times 
with wonderful adroitness, for I took such care to hit her, that 
I am at a loss to conceive how she escaped my arrows; but I in¬ 
tend to resume my pursuit of her to-morrow.” Becafica was 

[ 220 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

not sorry to perceive that the prince’s passion for the chase had 
revived. He encouraged him, therefore, in his determination 
to return next morning to the place where he had first seen the 
hind; who, however, took care to avoid the spot, fearful of 
another adventure of the same kind. Valiant looked cautiously 
around him, but walked through and through the thicket to no 
purpose. Tired and heated by his fruitless search, he was not 
a little pleased, when he came to a tree laden with apples, which 
looked so ripe and tempting that he gathered and ate some of 
them, when he almost immediately felt so sleepy that, coming 
to a spot where myriads of singing-birds seemed to have made 
their rendezvous, he threw himself on the grass under the trees 
and fell fast asleep. 

Scarcely had Valiant closed his eyes when our timid hind 
entered the grove where he was reposing. She came close to 
where he lay before she saw him, and, his breathing informing 
her that he was asleep, paused to contemplate his features. 
How greatly astonished was she when she recognized in 
the sleeper the original of her lover’s portrait! Her mind was 
too full of his charming image to have forgotten Valiant in so 
short a time. Alas! Fate, why be so unkind ? Must then the 
lovely hind be exposed to lose her life by the hand of a suitor? 
Yes,she exposes her life; her safety is already endangered. She 
laid herself down at a short distance from the prince, and her 
eyes, delighted with the sight of her lover, were fixed on him 
intently: she sighed, and, at last, becoming more assured, drew 
close to and touched him, at which he awoke. 

The prince’s surprise, as may be easily imagined, was ex¬ 
treme at recognizing the hind that had given him so much 
trouble the preceding day, and that he had been seeking so 
diligently before he fell asleep; but that it should be now so 
familiar appeared to him extraordinary. She did not stay to 
be taken, but set off as fast as she could, followed by the prince. 
Sometimes they paused to take breath, for they were both 
much fatigued by the previous day’s exertion, when the prince 
observed the hind turn her head toward him, as much as to ask 
if he were indeed bent on hunting her to death; but the instant 

[ 221 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

he endeavored to close with her, she made fresh efforts to elude 
him. “ Ah! could you but understand me, pretty hind/’ cried 
he, “ you would not thus fly from me; I love you, and would 
not kill you for the world.” The hind, however, heard him 
not, and continued to fly rapidly onward. 

At last, having made a complete circuit of the forest, and 
being completely exhausted, she slackened her steps, when the 
prince, redoubling his efforts, came up to her, with a joy that 
he thought he should never feel again. She was stretched on 
the ground, and to all appearance dying, when to her surprise 
he began to pat and caress her. “ Pretty hind,” said he, “ be 
not afraid; I will take you home with me, will nurse you ten¬ 
derly, and take care of you.” Thereupon Valiant cut branches 
from the trees, matted them neatly together, covered them 
with moss, and strowed them with roses, which he gathered 
from a neighboring bush. He then took the hind gently in his 
arms, and placing her on the litter, seated himself by her side, 
gathering from time to time tufts of tender grass, which he 
offered her, and which she ate from his hand, talking to her 
continually, although he never imagined she could understand 
him. 

Pleased as she was at his kindness and attention, she became 
uneasy as night approached. “ What would happen,” said she 
to herself, “ if he were to see me suddenly change my shape? 
He would fly from me with horror; or, if he did not, what 
should I not have to fear, thus alone in the forest ? ” While 
she was revolving in her mind how to effect her escape, the 
prince himself offered her an opportunity; for, thinking the 
hind must be thirsty, he left her, to seek for water at the near¬ 
est brook, and, while thus occupied, she took to flight and re¬ 
turned to the cottage. She threw herself on her bed; and, 
when night came on, and she regained her proper form, she 
recounted her adventure to her companion. 

“ Would you believe, my dear Flora,” she began, “ that 
Prince Valiant is in this forest? He it was who pursued me 
yesterday, and who, having caught me to-day, has loaded me 
with caresses. Ah! what a poor likeness of him is the portrait 

[ 222 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

I received! He is a hundred times more handsome. Am I not 
unfortunate to be obliged to fly from the prince for whom my 
parents have destined me, whom I love so dearly, and by whom 
I am loved in return ? ” These thoughts made her weep; while 
Flora endeavored to console her by repeating to her Tulip’s 
promises, that after a time her sorrow would be changed into 
joy. 

In the meanwhile Prince Valiant, having returned to the 
place where he had left the hind, was surprised to find she was 
no longer there. He looked in every direction, but in vain; and 
felt as much sorrow at her loss as if she had been his dearest 
friend. “ What! ” cried he, “ am I then destined always to be 
unfortunate in the objects of my attachment?” He returned 
to the cottage overwhelmed with melancholy, and related to 
Becafica the story of the white hind, whom he accused of in¬ 
gratitude. Becafica could not forbear smiling at the prince’s 
anger, and advised him to punish the hind, when he should next 
meet with her, for her infidelity. 

The next morning, at daybreak, the princess was undecided 
whether to seek the prince or to avoid him. At last she re¬ 
solved to go to an immense distance from the part of the forest 
where she had met with him on the two previous days; but our 
prince, quite as cunning as the hind, did the same, thinking he 
should by that means, as in fact he did, discover her. She be¬ 
lieved herself safe from pursuit, when suddenly she perceived 
the prince. With one bound she cleared the bushes, and, as 
though she dreaded her pursuer still more on account of the 
trick she had played him the previous afternoon, flew along 
more swiftly than the wind; but, while she was crossing a foot¬ 
path, Valiant took so good an aim that he succeeded in bury¬ 
ing an arrow in her leg. The hind, thus wounded, and unable 
to fly farther, sank upon the ground. 

The prince hastened to the spot. All his anger vanished, and 
he felt a deep sorrow on seeing the blood flow from the wound 
he had inflicted: he gathered some herbs, and, after binding 
them on the wounded leg to soothe her pain, made her a new 
bed of branches and moss, resting the pretty hind’s head upon 

[223] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

his knees. “Are you not the cause, little runaway,” said 
Valiant, “of what has happened? What did I yesterday that 
you ran away from me? But you shall not do so to-day, for 
I will carry you home.” The hind made no answer, while the 
prince caressed her most tenderly. “ How deeply I regret 
wounding you! ” continued he; “ you will hate me, and I wish 
you to love me.” To have heard him, one would have thought 
that some fairy inspired all he said. At last the prince resolved 
to remove the wounded hind, but was not a little embarrassed 
with carrying, leading, and sometimes drawing her after him 
on the litter. Welcome was in an agony the while. “ What 
will become of me ? ” she said to herself; “ I shall be alone with 
the prince! No, I would rather die!” Then she bore as 
heavily as she could on Valiant, and almost made him sink 
under her weight; so that, although not far from the old 
dame’s cottage, he felt that without some assistance he could 
not carry her thither. He therefore resolved to fetch his faith¬ 
ful Becafica; but, before leaving his prize, he tied her with rib¬ 
bons to a tree, that she might not escape. 

Alas! who would have thought that the most lovely princess 
in the world could be thus treated by a prince who adored her? 
In vain the white hind tried to break the ribbons; her efforts 
only tightened the knots, and she had almost strangled herself, 
when Flora, who had been walking in the forest, came by 
chance to the spot where she was struggling. What was her 
astonishment to perceive her dear mistress in such a condition! 
She ran to her assistance, and, after disentangling and untying 
the ribbons, had nearly released her, when Prince Valiant, ac¬ 
companied by Becafica, arrived. 

“ Whatever respect I may have for your sex, madam,” said 
the prince, “ I cannot permit you to release this hind; I struck 
her in the forest; she therefore belongs to me; and I entreat 
you to allow me to remain her master.” “ Sir,” answered 
Flora, courteously (for she was handsome and well-spoken), 
“ this hind was mine before she was yours, and I would rather 
lose my life than part with her. If you would convince your¬ 
self of the truth of what I say, I only ask you to set her at 

[224] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

liberty. Come, Blanche, Blanche,” continued Flora, “come 
and embrace me.” Welcome threw her forelegs round her 
maid of honor’s neck. “ Kiss my right cheek ”: she did so. 
“ Touch my heart ”: she placed her fore foot on Flora’s bosom. 
“ Sigh ”: and the hind sighed. The prince could not, after 
this, doubt what Flora had told him. “ I restore your hind,” 
said Valiant, obligingly, “but I confess that it is not without 
reluctance.” Flora thanked him, and hastened from the spot, 
accompanied by the hind. 

They had no idea that the prince resided in the same cottage 
with themselves: he also, after following them for some time, 
was greatly surprised to see them enter the old woman’s hab¬ 
itation. 

Prompted by curiosity, he demanded of the old dame who 
the young person was whom he had seen enter the cottage with 
the hind. She answered that she did not know, but that she 
had received her with her hind a few days before; that she 
paid her well, and lived quite retired. Becafica asked in what 
part of the cottage her room was situated. The old woman 
answered that it was separated from their own by a thin par¬ 
tition. 

When the prince had retired to his apartment, Becafica said 
that he was greatly mistaken if the young lady they had seen 
had not lived with the Princess Welcome; and that he had seen 
her at the palace on the occasion of his embassy. “ What a 
sorrowful remembrance have you brought to my mind! ” said 
Valiant; “ but by what chance can one of the princess’s at¬ 
tendants be here ? ” “ Of that I am ignorant,” replied Becafica; 
“ but, my lord, as our room is separated from hers by only a 
thin wainscoting, I will make a hole through it, and perhaps 
we may discover the cause of her retirement.” “ Useless curi¬ 
osity,” said the prince, for Becafica’s words had renewed all his 
sorrows: so, turning to his window, which looked out into the 
forest, he opened it, and was soon absorbed in thought. 

Meanwhile Becafica set to work, and soon made a hole large 
enough to look through. To his astonishment, he saw a 
charming princess, dressed in a gown of silver brocade, em- 

[225 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

broidered with pink flowers, and bordered with gold and em¬ 
eralds : her hair fell in large ringlets around the finest neck ever 
seen, and in her complexion the lily was blended with the rose 
to the most enchanting perfection, while no words can do jus¬ 
tice to her sparkling black eyes. Flora was on her knees, binding 
up her fair mistress’s arm, from which blood was flowing in 
streams. “ Let me die,” said the princess; “ death were pref¬ 
erable to the unhappy life I lead. To continue a hind all day, 
and to see him I love, without being able to speak to him, to 
inform him of my fatal metamorphosis! Alas! had you heard 
all the tender things he said to me to-day with his gentle voice 
—had you witnessed his graceful and noble manners—you 
would lament still more than you do my misfortune.” 

Becafica’s amazement at what he saw and heard may be eas¬ 
ily imagined. He ran to the prince, and pulled him from the 
window in a transport of inexpressible joy. “Ah! my lord,” 
said he, “ behold the original of the portrait which has stolen 
your heart.” Prince Valiant, surprised at his companion’s excite¬ 
ment, put his eye to the hole, and immediately recognized his 
princess. What words can tell the pleasure he experienced! 
although he feared he was the sport of enchantment: in truth, 
how could he reconcile so surprising a rencounter with his 
recollections of Narcissa and her mother, whom he had left 
confined in the black tower, and who called themselves, the one 
Welcome, and the other her mistress of the robes? 

However, his passion flattered him: the human mind has a 
natural tendency to persuade itself of whatever it wishes to be 
true. So, dying with impatience to clear up his doubts, Prince 
Valiant went immediately and knocked gently at the door of 
the princess’s chamber. Flora, supposing that it was the old 
woman, whose assistance she wanted to bind up her mistress’s 
arm, hastened to open it; and was not a little surprised to see 
the prince, who entered the room, and threw himself at Wel¬ 
come’s feet. His excess of joy so effectually prevented his 
speaking coherently that, although we have cross-examined 
Becafica and Flora themselves as to what he said on the occa¬ 
sion. neither of them could inform us. The princess was 

[226] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

equally embarrassed in her reply; but love, who can interpret 
for the dumb, came to their aid, and persuaded them both that 
nothing more eloquent had ever been spoken. Tears, sighs, 
vows, and even some gracious smiles, were nearly all that 
passed between our young lovers. The night having passed, 
the day appeared unexpectedly to Welcome; but, to her agree¬ 
able surprise, she was not changed into a hind. Her joy was 
boundless, and she then began the recital of her life to her 
lover, telling him the history of her metamorphosis with ex¬ 
treme natural grace and eloquence. 

“ What! ” cried Prince Valiant. “ What! lovely princess, 
have I wounded you in the form of a hind ? How can I expiate 
so heavy a crime? Will it be enough to die of grief before 
your face? ” He was so sensibly afflicted that his countenance 
gave visible tokens of his deep sorrow. Welcome suffered 
more at witnessing her lover’s grief than from the wound, and 
assured him that it was merely a scratch; and that she could 
not help looking upon it with delight, since it had procured her 
so much happiness. 

Her manner was so affectionate that he could not doubt her 
sincerity. He then related to her the fraud practised by Nar- 
cissa and her mother, adding that Becafica must hasten to the 
king to inform him of his son’s good fortune, as he was about 
to wage a terrible war against her father’s kingdom, in revenge 
for the affront he believed himself to have received. Becafica 
was on the point of setting out when a loud concert of trum¬ 
pets, clarions, cymbals, and drums was heard in the forest; 
they fancied that they heard also the tramp of many feet at no 
great distance from the cottage. Valiant looked out at the 
window, and immediately recognized several of his father’s 
officers, with the colors and standards of their regiments, and 
commanded them to halt. 

Never were soldiers more delighted than were these on rec¬ 
ognizing Valiant; the universal opinion being that the prince 
was about to put himself at their head and to lead them against 
Welcome’s father. The king himself, notwithstanding his 
great age, commanded the army. He was in a litter of velvet, 

[ 227] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

embroidered with gold, followed by an open chariot, in which 
Narcissa and her mother were seated. When Valiant recog¬ 
nized his father’s litter, he ran up to it; and the king received 
him with open arms, and embraced him with every testimony 
of paternal love. “ Whence come you, my child ? ” cried he; 
“ how little do you know the affliction your absence has caused 
me!” “ Sire,” said Valiant, “ deign to listen to me.” The 
king immediately alighted from his litter, and, retiring to a 
grove hard by, his son informed him of his fortunate meeting 
with Welcome, and of the treachery of Narcissa and her 
mother. 

The king, filled with gratitude at this good news, raised his 
hands and eyes to Heaven to return thanks; and, at that mo¬ 
ment, the Princess Welcome appeared before him, more lovely 
and more brilliant than all the stars. She was mounted on a 
superb curveting palfrey; a hundred feathers of different hues 
ornamented her head, and her jewels consisted of the largest 
diamonds ever dug from the earth. She wore a hunting-dress, 
as also did Flora, who followed in her mistress’s train. All 
this was the result of the fairy Tulip’s protection, who, it must 
be allowed, had conducted the affair with care and success. 
The pretty cottage in the wood had been placed there for the 
accommodation of the princess, and under the figure of an old 
woman, she it was who had received them. 

When the princess appeared to the king, he was so enrap¬ 
tured that he could hardly persuade himself she was mortal. 
His majesty said all the appropriate and obliging things im¬ 
aginable, and entreated her at once to make his subjects happy 
by becoming their queen; “ for I am resolved,” he concluded, 
“ to abdicate in favor of Prince Valiant, in order to make him 
more worthy of such a bride.” Welcome answered the king 
with all the politeness natural ‘to so well-educated a princess; 
then, turning to the two prisoners, who were in the open 
chariot, hiding their faces with their hands, she asked their 
pardon of the king, which he immediately granted, while he 
praised the generosity of her disposition. 

The army now received orders to retrace its steps. The prince 

[228] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

mounted on horseback to accompany his beautiful princess, and 
they were welcomed to the capital with the most exuberant 
manifestations of loyalty and affection. Grand preparations 
were made for the wedding, which was dignified and graced 
by the presence of the six benign fairies who protected the 
princess. 

The faithful Becafica, who had been charmed by the beauty 
and fidelity of Flora (who, on her side, entertained no less ad¬ 
miration for the noble qualities of the ambassador), begged his 
master to request, on his behalf, of Welcome, that she would 
consent to their union, and allow their nuptials to be solem¬ 
nized on the day he should marry the princess. Valiant pleaded 
accordingly for his ambassador, and, as may be supposed, suc¬ 
ceeded without any great difficulty, and the fairy Tulip, still 
more liberal than her sisters, gave Flora four mines of gold in 
the Indies, that her husband might not have the advantage of 
her in point of wealth. The wedding-feast of the prince and 
princess lasted several months, and each day added to their 
attachment. They lived happily, and reigned peaceably over 
their subjects, until they reached a good old age; and the ad¬ 
ventures of the white hind in the forest have been sung in 
every kingdom of the world. 


[229] 


1 The Lost Spear 

^\NCE upon a time, when the fairies were still in this land, 
f J and the black man had not been driven inland away 
v-^ from the seashore, a mighty king called all his chiefs 
together to witness a contest between the four strongest, brav¬ 
est, and handsomest of the young men of all his subjects. The 
prize was the king’s youngest daughter—the black-eyed Lala 
—and the one of these four who should throw the assegai the 
farthest should win her for his bride. 

Many princes and chiefs and their followers assembled at 
the king’s village by the sea, and many days went by in feasting 
and in choosing four from all that host who were at the same 
time the strongest, bravest, and most handsome there. 

At last these four were chosen. Three of them were sons 
of great chieftains, but the fourth was only a poor herdsman. 
Yet the Princess Lala, who stood at her father’s hut, thought 
him the best of them all. A sandy plain that stretched between 
the mountains was chosen, and the four champions stood in a 
row ready to throw. The first threw his assegai so well that it 
fell upright into an ant-hill far, far away. The second assegai 
stood quivering in the bark of a young fir-tree many paces 
beyond the ant-hill. 

The spear of the third pierced the breast of a gold and green 
sugar-bird that was fluttering over a tall aloe blossom still far¬ 
ther away. But the herdsman, who was fourth, threw his 
assegai so vigorously that it flew like a flash of lightning up 
into the heavens, and struck a hawk that was soaring there 
in search of prey. 

Loud were the acclamations of the people, and they adjudged 
the fourth the winner. The princess wept for joy, but the great 

[230] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

king, who did not wish his daughter to wed a humble herds¬ 
man, said: 

“ Let them throw again with spears that I shall give them. 
This man’s weapon was surely bewitched.” 

So on the morrow the king sent for fresh spears of gold. 
And to the princes were given splendid, equally balanced ones; 
but the herdsman’s was clumsy and untrue. Again they threw, 
and again the herdsman’s assegai outdistanced those of the 
others. This time it flew into the clouds, and was lost to sight 
in their whiteness. 

But the king was unjust, and said: “ Not till you have found 
the spear, and bring it to my feet, shall you win my daughter, 
the beautiful Lala. Go! ” 

The princess clung to her father and wept, saying she loved 
this gallant herdsman; but the king took her arms from round 
his neck, and bade her go. To disobey the king meant death, 
and the girl went. 

Thus Zandilli, the herdsman, set out in search of the royal 
assegai. He wandered some days among the mountains, for 
it was in the wind-clouds on their brows that the spear had dis¬ 
appeared. It was on the fourth day of his wanderings that, 
while he was gazing down into the depths of a brown pool, a 
butcher-bird fell at his feet, clutching in his talons a tiny 
green frog. The frog cried for help, and Zandilli succeeded in 
frightening the bird away. 

The frog expressed its gratitude, and said: “ If ever you are 
in trouble, and think I can help you, close your eyes and call 
to mind this brown pool, and I shall come to your assistance.” 

Zandilli thanked the kind frog, who then disappeared in the 
water. 

A little farther on he saw a large black-and-yellow butterfly 
impaled upon a thorn of prickly pear. He released it, and the 
butterfly said: 

“ I was thrust upon that thorn by a pair of tiny brown hands 
belonging to a little maid with large black eyes. She was 
cruel. You are kind, and I am grateful. If ever you are 
in difficulty or danger call me, and I shall be at your service.” 

[231] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Then the glorious insect spread its wings, and flew away to 
play with its mates among the crimson orchids. 

Night was approaching on the fifth day, and still the lost 
spear had not been found. It was a warm summer’s night, and 
the moon rose, a great ball of crimson fire, from out the fog 
in the east. 

Zandilli was anxious to find some shelter for the night, and 
to that end entered a narrow gorge, through which trickled a 
tiny stream. It was pitch dark in this ravine. Its walls were 
very high, and he fell into deep water-holes, and stumbled 
over slippery boulders; but Zandilli persevered, knowing how 
often small caves are found in these ravines. And such a cave 
at last he came upon. The moon, now clear of the fog, had 
floated up into the heavens, and shone into the gorge, lighting 
up its western wall. Into a large cavity her light fell in a broad 
pathway of silver. 

Zandilli entered boldly; he, who had lived among the moun¬ 
tains all his life, knew no fear. The light of the moon did not 
enter very far into the cave, and he was too tired to explore 
the darkness beyond, so he lay down to rest, with his spear close 
at hand. 

He awoke to find the cave in total darkness, and a strange 
soft music greeted his ears. It was music sweeter than that of 
the turtle-dove calling to her mate, softer than the murmur of 
the wind among the grass-bells. Its sound thrilled the listen¬ 
er’s heart, and made him long to look upon the being whose 
voice could discourse such sweet music. Zandilli arose, and 
crept with steps as noiseless as the leopard’s toward the place 
whence the music came. Nearer and nearer it grew, and as he 
advanced the cave grew broader and higher, and a pale light 
seemed to flood the walls. 

Louder grew the music at each step, loftier the walls, and 
more brilliant the light, until suddenly such a sight burst upon 
his astonished eyes as never mortal had seen before. 

A large lake spread its sapphire waters before him. The 
roof of the cave shone as the sun, and great pillars, which 
sparkled with the glitter of countless diamonds, raised them- 

[232] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

selves from the waters and were lost in the blazing glory of the 
dome. In the very center of the lake a magnificent flight of 
glittering golden steps led to a throne, which sent forth flashes 
of green fire—being fashioned of a single emerald beautifully 
carved. The lake seemed boundless, for its shores were lost in 
darkness. 

From out of the shadow in all directions countless large 
rose-colored lilies came floating, each bearing toward the 
throne a lovely fairy. It was from these lilies the lovely music 
floated, for each fairy sat singing as she combed her long 
golden hair. Never had Zandilli seen such beautiful forms. 
More delicate-looking were they than the soft wind-flowers 
that crown the precipices; more beautiful than the crimson 
orchids. Their hair that spread behind them was not less bril¬ 
liant than the fiery tail of the great star which comes to warn 
the black man of approaching drought and famine; and it 
gleamed against their snowy breasts as does the golden tongue 
of the arum. Their forms were as graceful as that of the 
slender antelope; their arms were whiter than the spray which 
tips the waves. Their brows were crowned with white star- 
blossoms, and their voices excelled anything Zandilli had 
ever heard. The lily-boats floated from all sides, and seemed 
to be guided by some unseen power. As they touched the 
golden steps the fays stepped from the pink petals, and shak¬ 
ing their golden hair around their shoulders as a mantle, they 
joined the throngs of others as fair as themselves around the 
throne. 

All this Zandilli gazed upon with eyes large with wonder. 
Only who it was that sat upon the throne he could not see, for 
a brilliancy of flashing light clothed the occupant as in a veil. 
The empty boats dotted the lake, as do the blue water-lilies the 
quiet reaches of the rivers, floating lazily backward and for¬ 
ward. 

Suddenly the music ceased—his presence seemed to have be¬ 
come known to this strange people. There was much whis¬ 
pering among the throngs upon the steps of the throne. Then 
a broad pathway was opened among them, and a being clothed 

[233] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

in light stepped from the throne to the water’s edge, and a 
silvery voice spoke: 

“ Mortal, you are not unexpected. You are Zandilli, the 
herdsman. Your quest is not unknown to us. You seek a 
royal spear, and dare to aspire to win a royal bride. The 
moon has risen five times since you vanquished the three 
princes in throwing the spear. When she shall have shone yet 
twice upon land and sea, your bride, unless you save her, will 
have wed another. Yet, have no fear, brave Zandilli, the royal 
spear is within your reach.” 

The silvery tones ceased, and Zandilli fell upon his face, and 
said : 

“ Oh, great being! whose light is as the sun’s, whose wisdom 
is greater than that of our witch-doctors, help your servant to 
find that spear which you say is within his reach! ” 

A strange-shaped canoe of gold shot from the steps of the 
throne and rested at Zandilli’s feet. He entered it fearlessly, 
and as quick as light he was carried across to the golden steps. 
The dazzling being who stood there reached a hand to him as 
he stepped from the canoe. He raised his eyes, and saw before 
him a woman lovely as the morning. Countless rays of light 
streamed from a girdle and breastplate of diamonds, and from 
the flowing robes of silver tissue that clothed her, leaving only 
the lily-white arms and throat bare. Her golden hair fell 
to her shapely feet, and was crowned with a wreath of star- 
flowers. 

“ Welcome to the land of the Moon-Fairies! ” she cried, as 
she took his hand and led him to a seat beside herself upon the 
throne. The crowd upon the steps bowed humbly before them 
as they passed through its midst. 

Then Zandilli spoke: “ Oh, great queen! whiter than the 
wind-clouds, fairer than the dawn, tell your servant how best 
he can serve you and win the spear! ” 

She bent her eyes, blue as the lake, upon him, and said: 
“ Would that I could say it is yours now—yours to take away; 
but there is an ancient law among us that forbids even the 
queen to take from our treasure-trove anything , and this golden 

[234] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

spear of royalty which fell at the mouth of this cavern, has been 
given a place among our treasures. ,, 

“ It was prophesied in years remote that a mortal would 
come among us in quest of a weapon that would give the pos¬ 
sessor great joy. When he should appear two tasks were to 
be set him. If he performed them the object of his search 
should be given him. You, Zandilli, the herdsman, are that 
mortal, for do you not seek a spear that will give you a lovely 
bride? We will deliberate upon the tasks to be set you. Mean¬ 
while, you will be shown the beauties of our home by my 
maidens.” 

With these words the queen rose and descended to a lily- 
boat, which bore her quickly away. Now three of the loveliest 
of the fairies stepped with Zandilli into the golden canoe— 
wonder after wonder unfolded itself to his astonished gaze. 
All was glitter and light, but there was one dark cavern, whose 
walls were lusterless and black as night. Yet in spite of these 
marvels Zandilli was impatient to win the spear, especially as 
the queen had spoken of another who was to win the Princess 
Lala ere two moons had risen. 

He therefore begged to be taken back to the queen, who sat 
again upon her throne. She greeted him with a smile, and laid 
her lily-white hand upon his bronze arm. “ We have decided,” 
she said, “ upon your first task. My councilors have made it 
no easy one. You have seen the black chamber? It is the one 
blot upon our home. If you can make it as beautiful as each 
of the others, half your task will be fulfilled. Before the moon * 
has risen again this must be performed, or death will be your 
doom.” 

Zandilli was taken to the black chamber; and there he was 
left alone in the golden canoe, with despair at his heart, for he 
had no means of beautifying those hideous walls. He thought 
of the foam-flecked sea, which he should never see again; of 
the shy maiden who was to have been his bride. He thought of 
the flowers, the birds, the butterflies. At the thought that then 
came, he laughed. The butterfly he had saved ? Could its help 
be of use to him? It seemed hopeless. 

[ 235 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Zandilli sighed, and, overcome by fatigue, laid himself down 
to sleep. 

The butterfly heard its deliverer’s scarce-formed cry for help. 
So at break of day it called together its brethren and its cousins 
the fireflies. Then they all flew into the dark cavern. The 
sound of their fluttering wings awoke Zandilli. Great was his 
surprise to find the dull walls transformed into a fairy palace 
of gorgeous wings and tender pale-green gems. The butter¬ 
flies and fireflies had spread themselves over the entire walls. 

When the queen and her followers came to see if the task 
had been performed, great surprise and joy did they express at 
the wonderful transformation the mortal had worked. With 
one voice they cried: 

“ He has won! He has won! ” 

All that day was spent in revelry; but the queen was absent. 
She was with her wise men, discussing the second task. 

At the close of the day, the queen spoke thus to Zandilli: 
“ You have completed your first task, and the spear is partly 
won. It has therefore been placed here upon the steps before 
my throne. See! This is to be your second task: My maid¬ 
ens’ robes are woven from the wings of flies. Our looms are 
idle, for our store-rooms are empty. To you is given the task 
of filling a hundred of our boats with the wings of flies.” Then 
the queen disappeared. 

Zandilli lay down in the canoe, and gave way to despair. 
This task seemed far more hopeless than even the first had 
done. Never more should he see the sun; never should he 
hunt the leopard again. Never should he see the tumbling 
streams and cool brown pools, nor see the great black eyes of 
his princess smile upon him. He fell asleep at last with these 
sad thoughts upon him. 

The frog heard his deliverer’s sigh for a sight of the brown 
pool, and called his brethren and his friends the lizards. Each 
came with his burden of flies, and soon filled the many boats. 

Their busy croaking awoke Zandilli, who found his task per¬ 
formed; and when the queen and her followers came again, 
they cried: 


[236] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ He has won! The spear is his! ” 

Then Zandilli ascended the golden steps to take his well- 
earned prize. But the queen was loath to let him go. She 
would have liked to have kept this wonder-worker by her side 
forever, and she tried to hold him back. 

But Zandilli was impatient, and snatched his arm from her 
grasp. He seized the golden spear, and jumping into the canoe, 
propelled it with the spear to the edge of the lake, and bounded 
ashore. In a few short hours he had claimed his bride and they 
lived in great happiness forever after. 


[237] 


Sylvain and Jocosa 


^~\NCE upon a time there lived in the same village two 
( 1 children, one called Sylvain and the other Jocosa, who 
were both remarkable for beauty and intelligence. It 
happened that their parents were not on terms of friendship 
with each other, on account of some old quarrel which had 
taken place so long ago that they had quite forgotten what it 
was all about, and only kept up the feud from force of habit. 
Sylvain and Jocosa for their parts were far from sharing this 
enmity, and indeed were never happy when apart. Day after 
day they fed their flocks of sheep together, and spent the long 
sunshiny hours in playing or resting upon some shady bank. 
It happened one day that the fairy of the meadows passed by 
and saw them, and was so much attracted by their pretty faces 
and gentle manners that she took them under her protection, 
and the older they grew the dearer they became to her. At first 
she showed her interest by leaving in their favorite haunts 
many little gifts such as they delighted to offer one to the other, 
for they loved each other so much that their first thought was 
always, “What will Jocosa like?” or, “What will please Syl¬ 
vain ? ” and the fairy took a great delight in their innocent 
enjoyment of the cakes and sweetmeats she gave them nearly 
every day. When they were grown up she resolved to make 
herself known to them, and chose a time when they were shel¬ 
tering from the noonday sun in the deep shade of a flowery 
hedgerow. They were startled at first by the sudden appari¬ 
tion of a tall and slender lady dressed all in green and crowned 
with a garland of flowers. But when she spoke to them sweetly 
and told them how she had always loved them, and that it was 
she who had given them all the pretty things which it had so 

[238] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

surprised them to find, they thanked her gratefully and took 
pleasure in answering the questions she put to them. When 
she presently bade them farewell, she told them never to tell 
any one else that they had seen her. “ You will often see me 
again,” added she, “ and I shall be with you frequently, even 
when you do not see me.” So saying she vanished, leaving 
them in a state of great wonder and excitement. After this she 
came often, and taught them numbers of things and showed 
them many of the marvels of her beautiful kingdom, and at last 
one day she said to them: “You know that I have always been 
kind to you. Now I think it is time you did something for me 
in your turn. You both remember the fountain I call my fa¬ 
vorite? Promise me that every morning before the sun rises 
you will go to it and clear away every stone that impedes its 
course and every dead leaf or broken twig that sullies its clear 
waters. I shall take it as a proof of your gratitude to me if 
you neither forget nor delay this duty, and I promise that so 
long as the sun’s earliest rays find my favorite spring the clear¬ 
est and sweetest in all my meadows you two shall not be parted 
from each other.” 

Sylvain and Jocosa willingly undertook this service, and in¬ 
deed felt that it was but a very small thing in return for all 
that the fairy had given and promised to them. So for a long 
time the fountain was tended with the most scrupulous care 
and was the clearest and prettiest in all the country round. But 
one morning in the spring, long before the sun rose, they were 
hastening toward it from opposite directions, when, tempted 
by the beauty of the myriads of gay flowers which grew thickly 
on all sides, they paused each to gather some for the other. 

“ I will make Sylvain a garland,” said Jocosa, and “ How 
pretty Jocosa will look in this crown! ” thought Sylvain. 

Hither and thither they strayed, led ever farther and farther, 
for the brightest flowers seemed always just beyond them, until 
at last they were startled by the first bright rays of the rising 
sun. With one accord they turned and ran toward the foun¬ 
tain, reaching it at the same moment, though from opposite 
sides. But what was their horror to see its usually tranquil 

[239] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

waters seething and bubbling, and even as they looked, down 
rushed a mighty stream, which entirely engulfed it, and Sylvain 
and Jocosa found themselves parted by a wide and swiftly rush¬ 
ing river. All this had happened with such rapidity that they 
had only time to utter a cry and each to hold up to the other 
the flowers they had gathered; but this was explanation 
enough. Twenty times did Sylvain throw himself into the tur¬ 
bulent waters, hoping to be able to swim to the other side, but 
each time an irresistible force drove him back upon the bank 
he had just quitted, while as for Jocosa, she even essayed to 
cross the flood upon a tree which came floating down torn up 
by the roots, but her efforts were equally useless. Then with 
heavy hearts they set out to follow the course of the stream, 
which had now grown so wide that it was only with difficulty 
they could distinguish each other. Night and day, over moun¬ 
tains and through valleys, in cold or in heat, they struggled on, 
enduring fatigue and hunger and every hardship, and consoled 
only by the hope of meeting once more, until three years had 
passed, and at last they stood upon the cliffs where the river 
flowed into the mighty sea. 

And now they seemed farther apart than ever, and in despair 
they tried once more to throw themselves into the foaming 
waves. But the fairy of the meadows, who had really never 
ceased to watch over them, did not intend that they should be 
drowned at last, so she hastily waved her wand, and immedi¬ 
ately they found themselves standing side by side upon the 
golden sand. You may imagine their joy and delight when 
they realized that their weary struggle was ended, and their 
utter contentment as they clasped each other by the hand. 
They had so much to say that they hardly knew where to begin, 
but they agreed in blaming themselves bitterly for the negli¬ 
gence which had caused all their trouble; and when she heard 
this the fairy immediately appeared to them. They threw them¬ 
selves at her feet and implored her forgiveness, which she 
granted freely, and promised at the same time that now their 
punishment was ended she would always befriend them. Then 
she sent for her chariot of green rushes, ornamented with May 

[240] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

dewdrops, which she particularly valued and always collected 
with great care; and ordered her six short-tailed moles to carry 
them all back to the well-known pastures, which they did in a 
remarkably short time; and Sylvain and Jocosa were overjoyed 
to see their dearly loved home once more after all their toilsome 
wanderings. The fairy, who had set her mind upon securing 
their happiness, had in their absence quite made up the quarrel 
between their parents and gained their consent to the marriage 
of the faithful lovers; and now she conducted them to the most 
charming little cottage that can be imagined, close to the foun¬ 
tain, which had once more resumed its peaceful aspect and 
flowed gently down into the little brook which inclosed the gar¬ 
den and orchard and pasture which belonged to the cottage. 
Indeed, nothing more could have been thought of, either for 
Sylvain and Jocosa or for their flocks; and their delight satis¬ 
fied even the fairy who had planned it all to please them. When 
they had explored and admired until they were tired they sat 
down to rest under the rose-covered porch, and the fairy said 
that to pass the time until the wedding-guests whom she had 
invited could arrive she would tell them a story. This is it: 

THE YELLOW BIRD 

Once upon a time a fairy, who had somehow or other got 
into mischief, was condemned by the high court of Fairyland 
to live for several years under the form of some creature, and 
at the moment of resuming her natural appearance once again 
to make the fortune of two men. It was left to her to choose 
what form she would take, and because she loved yellow she 
transformed herself into a lovely bird with shining golden 
feathers such as no one had ever seen before. When the time 
of her punishment was at an end the beautiful yellow bird flew 
to Bagdad and let herself be caught by a fowler at the precise 
moment when Badi-al-Zaman was walking up and down out¬ 
side his magnificent summer palace. This Badi-al-Zaman— 
whose name means “ Wonder-of-the-World ”—was looked 
upon in Bagdad as the most fortunate creature under the sun 

[241] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

because of his vast wealth. But really, what with anxiety 
about his riches and being weary of everything, and always de¬ 
siring something he had not, he never knew a moment’s real 
happiness. Even now he had come out of his palace, which was 
large and splendid enough for fifty kings, weary and cross 
because he could find nothing new to amuse him. The fowler 
thought that this would be a favorable opportunity for offering 
him the marvelous bird, which he felt certain he would buy 
the instant he saw it. And he was not mistaken, for when Badi- 
al-Zaman took the lovely prisoner into his own hands, he saw 
written under its right wing the words, “ He who eats my head 
will become a king,” and under its left wing, “ He who eats 
my heart will find a hundred gold pieces under his pillow every 
morning.” In spite of all his wealth he at once began to desire 
the promised gold, and the bargain was soon completed. Then 
the difficulty arose as to how the bird was to be cooked; for 
among all his army of servants not one could Badi-al-Zaman 
trust. At last he asked the fowler if he were married, and on 
hearing that he was he made him take the bird home with him 
and tell his wife to cook it. 

“ Perhaps,” said he, “ this will give me an appetite, which 
I have not had for many a long day, and if so your wife shall 
have a hundred pieces of silver.” 

The fowler with great joy ran home to his wife, who speed¬ 
ily made a savory stew of the yellow bird. But when Badi-al- 
Zaman reached the cottage and began eagerly to search in the 
dish for its head and its heart he could not find either of them, 
and turned to the fowler’s wife in a furious rage. She was 
so terrified that she fell upon her knees before him and con¬ 
fessed that her two children had come in just before he arrived, 
and had so teased her for some of the dish she was preparing 
that she had presently given the head to one and the heart to 
the other, since these morsels are not generally much esteemed; 
and Badi-al-Zaman rushed from the cottage vowing vengeance 
against the whole family. The wrath of a rich man is gen¬ 
erally to be feared, so the fowler and his wife resolved to send 
their children out of harm’s way; but the wife, to console her 

[242] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

husband, confided to him that she had purposely given them 
the head and heart of the bird because she had been able to 
read what was written under its wings. So, believing that their 
children’s fortunes were made, they embraced them and sent 
them forth, bidding them get as far away as possible, to take 
different roads, and to send news of their welfare. For them¬ 
selves, they remained hidden and disguised in the town, which 
was really rather clever of them; but very soon afterward 
Badi-al-Zaman died of vexation and annoyance at the loss of 
the promised treasure, and then they went back to their cottage 
to wait for news of their children. The younger, who had 
eaten the heart of the yellow bird, very soon found out what it 
had done for him, for each morning when he awoke he found 
a purse containing a hundred gold pieces under his pillow. 
But, as all poor people may remember for their consolation, 
nothing in the world causes so much trouble or requires so 
much care as a great treasure. Consequently the fowler’s son, 
who spent with reckless profusion and was supposed to be pos¬ 
sessed of a great hoard of gold, was before very long attacked 
by robbers, and in trying to defend himself was so badly 
wounded that he died. 

The elder brother, who had eaten the yellow bird’s head, 
traveled a long way without meeting with any particular ad¬ 
venture, until at last he reached a large city in Asia, which was 
all in an uproar over the choosing of a new emir. All the 
principal citizens had formed themselves into two parties, and 
it was not until after a prolonged squabble that they agreed 
that the person to whom the most singular thing happened 
should be emir. Our young traveler entered the town at this 
juncture, with his agreeable face and jaunty air, and all at 
once felt something alight upon his head, which proved to be 
a snow-white pigeon. Thereupon all the people began to stare 
and to run after him, so that he presently reached the palace 
with the pigeon upon his head and all the inhabitants of the 
city at his heels, and before he knew where he was they made 
him emir, to his great astonishment. 

As there is nothing more agreeable than to command, and 

[243] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

nothing to which people get accustomed more quickly, the 
young emir soon felt quite at his ease in his new position; but 
this did not prevent him from making every kind of mistake, 
and so misgoverning the kingdom that at last the whole city 
rose in revolt and deprived him at once of his authority and his 
life—a punishment which he richly deserved, for in the days of 
his prosperity he disowned the fowler and his wife and allowed 
them to die in poverty. 

“ I have told you this story, my dear Sylvain and Jocosa, ,, 
added the fairy, “ to prove to you that this little cottage and all 
that belongs to it is a gift more likely to bring you happiness 
and contentment than many things that would at first seem 
grander and more desirable. If you will faithfully promise me 
to till your fields and feed your flocks, and will keep your word 
better than you did before, I will see that you never lack any¬ 
thing that is really for your good.” 

Sylvain and Jocosa gave their faithful promise, and as they 
kept it they always enjoyed peace and prosperity. The fairy 
had asked all their friends and neighbors to their wedding, 
which took place at once with great festivities and rejoicings, 
and they lived to a good old age, always loving each other 
with all their hearts. 


[244] 


'The Golden Blackbird 


X^VNCE upon a time there was a great lord who had three 
t J sons. He fell very ill, sent for doctors of every kind, 
even bone-setters, but they none of them could find out 
what was the matter with him or even give him any relief. 
At last there came a foreign doctor, who declared that the 
golden blackbird alone could cure the sick man. 

So the old lord despatched his eldest son to look for the 
wonderful bird, and promised him great riches if he managed 
to find it and bring it back. 

The young man began his journey and soon arrived at a 
place where four roads met. He did not know which to choose, 
and tossed his cap in the air, determining that the direction 
of its fall should decide him. After traveling for two or three 
days he grew tired of walking without knowing where or for 
how long, and he stopped at an inn which was filled with 
merrymakers and ordered something to eat and drink. 

“ My faith,” said he, “ it is sheer folly to waste more time 
hunting for this bird. My father is old, and if he dies I shall 
inherit his goods.” 

The old man, after waiting patiently for some time, sent his 
second son to seek the golden blackbird. The youth took the 
same direction as his brother, and when he came to the cross¬ 
roads he too tossed up which road he should take. The cap 
fell in the same place as before, and he walked on till he came 
to the spot where his brother had halted. The latter, who was 
leaning out of the window of the inn, called to him to stay 
where he was and amuse himself. 

“ You are right,” replied the youth. “ Who knows if I 
should ever find the golden blackbird, even if I sought the 

[245] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

whole world through for it ? At the worst, if the old man dies 
we shall have his property.” 

He entered the inn and the two brothers made merry and 
feasted, till very soon their money was all spent. They even 
owed something to their landlord, who kept them as hostages 
till they could pay their debts. 

The youngest son set forth in his turn, and he arrived at 
the place where his brothers were still prisoners. They called 
to him to stop and did all they could to prevent his going 
farther. 

“ No,” he replied, “ my father trusted me, and I will go all 
over the world till I find the golden blackbird.” 

“ Bah,” said his brothers, “ you will never succeed any bet¬ 
ter than we did. Let him die if he wants to. We will divide 
the property.” 

As he went his way he met a little hare, who stopped to 
look at him and asked: 

“ Where are you going, my friend ? ” 

“ I really don’t quite know,” answered he. “ My father is 
ill, and he cannot be cured unless I bring him back the golden 
blackbird. It is a long time since I set out, but no one can 
tell me where to find it.” 

“ Ah,” said the hare, “ you have a long way to go yet. You 
will have to walk at least seven hundred miles before you 
get to it.” 

* “ And how am I to travel such a distance ? ” 

“ Mount on my back,” said the little hare, “ and I will con¬ 
duct you.”- 

The young man obeyed. At each bound the little hare went 
seven miles, and it was not long before they reached a castle 
that was as large and beautiful as a castle could be. 

“ The golden blackbird is in a little cabin near by,” said 
the little hare, “and you will easily find it. It lives in a 
little cage, with another cage beside it made all of gold. But 
whatever you do, be sure not to put it in the beautiful cage, 
or everybody in the castle will know that you have stolen it.” 

The youth found the golden blackbird standing on a wooden 
[246] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

perch, but as stiff and rigid as if he was dead. And beside the 
beautiful bird was the cage of gold. 

“ Perhaps he would revive if I were to put him in that 
lovely cage,” thought the youth. 

The moment the golden blackbird had touched the bars of 
the splendid cage he awoke and began to whistle, so that all 
the servants of the castle ran to see what was the matter, say¬ 
ing that he was a thief and must be put in prison. 

“ No,” he answered, “ I am not a thief. If I have taken the 
golden blackbird, it is only that it may cure my father, who is 
ill, and I have traveled more than seven hundred miles in 
order to find it.” 

“ Well,” they replied, “ we will let you go, and will even give 
you the golden blackbird if you are able to bring us the porce¬ 
lain maiden.” 

The youth departed, weeping, and met the little hare, who 
was munching wild thyme. 

“ What are you crying for, my friend ? ” asked the hare. 

“ It is because,” he answered, “ the castle people will not 
allow me to carry off the golden blackbird without giving them 
the porcelain maiden in exchange.” 

“ You have not followed my advice,” said the little hare. 
“ And you have put the golden blackbird into the fine cage.” 

“Alas! yes!” 

“ Don’t despair. The porcelain maiden is a young girl, 
beautiful as Venus, who dwells two hundred miles from here. 
Jump on my back and I will take you there.” 

The little hare, who took seven miles in a stride, was there 
in no time at all, and he stopped on the borders of a lake. 

“ The porcelain maiden,” said the hare to the youth, “ will 
come here to bathe with her friends, while I just eat a mouth¬ 
ful of thyme to refresh me. When she is in the lake be sure 
you hide her clothes, which are of dazzling whiteness, and 
do not give them back to her unless she consents to follow 
you.” 

The little hare left him, and almost immediately the porce¬ 
lain maiden arrived with her friends. She undressed herself 

[247] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and got into the water. Then the young man glided up noise¬ 
lessly and laid hold of her clothes, which he hid under a rock 
at some distance. 

When the porcelain maiden was tired of playing in the 
water she came out to dress herself, but though she hunted 
for her clothes high and low she could find them nowhere. 
Her friends helped her in the search, but, seeing at last that it 
was of no use, they left her alone on the bank, weeping bitterly. 

“ Why do you cry? ” said the young man, approaching her. 

“ Alas! ” answered she, “ while I was bathing some one stole 
my clothes, and my friends have abandoned me.” 

“I will find your clothes if you will only come with me.” 

And the porcelain maiden agreed to follow him, and after 
having given up her clothes the young man bought a small 
horse for her which went like the wind. The little hare 
brought them both back to seek for the golden blackbird, and 
when they drew near the castle where it lived the little hare 
said to the young man: 

“ Now, do be a little sharper than you were before, and 
you will manage to carry off both the golden blackbird and 
the porcelain maiden. Take the golden cage in one hand and 
leave the bird in the old cage where he is, and bring that 
away too.” 

The little hare then vanished. The youth did as he was 
bid, and the castle servants never noticed that he was carry¬ 
ing off the golden blackbird. When he reached the inn where 
his brothers were detained he delivered them by paying their 
debt. They set out all together, but as the two elder brothers 
were jealous of the success of the youngest, they took the 
opportunity as they were passing by the shores of a lake to 
throw themselves upon- him, seize the golden blackbird, and 
fling him in the water. Then they continued their journey, 
taking with them the porcelain maiden, in the firm belief that 
their brother was drowned. But happily he had snatched in 
falling at a tuft of rushes and called loudly for help. The 
little hare came running to him and said: “Take hold of 
my leg and pull yourself out of the water.” 

[248] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

When he was safe on shore the little hare said to him: 

“ Now, this is what you have to do: dress yourself like 
a Breton seeking a place as stable-boy, and go and offer your 
services to your father. Once there, you will easily be able 
to make him understand the truth.” 

The young man did as the little hare bade him, and he went 
to his father’s castle and inquired if they were not in want 
of a stable-boy. 

“ Yes,” replied his father, “ very much indeed. But it is not 
an easy place. There is a little horse in the stable which 
will not let any one go near it, and it has already kicked to 
death several people who have tried to groom it.” 

“ I will undertake to groom it,” said the youth. “ I never 
saw the horse I was afraid of yet.” 

The little horse allowed itself to be rubbed down without 
a toss of its head and without a kick. 

“ Good gracious! ” exclaimed the master. “ How is it that 
he lets you touch him when no one else can go near him ? ” 

“ Perhaps he knows me,” answered the stable-boy. 

Two or three days later the master said to him: “ The porce¬ 
lain maiden is here; but though she is as lovely as the dawn, 
she is so wicked that she scratches every one that approaches 
her. Try if she will accept your services.” 

When the youth entered the room where she was the golden 
blackbird broke forth into a joyful song, and the porcelain 
maiden sang too and jumped for joy. 

“ Good gracious! ” cried the master. “ The porcelain 
maiden and the golden blackbird know you too ? ” 

“ Yes,” replied the youth, “ and the porcelain maiden can tell 
you the whole truth if she only will.” 

Then she told all that had happened, and how she had con¬ 
sented to follow the young man who had captured the golden 
blackbird. 

“ Yes,” added the youth, “ I delivered my brothers, who 
were kept prisoners in an inn, and as a reward they threw me 
into a lake. So I disguised myself and came here in order 
to prove the truth to you.” 


[249] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

So the old lord embraced his son and promised that he should 
inherit all his possessions, and he banished to a far country the 
two elder ones, who had deceived him and had tried to slay 
their own brother. 

The young man married the porcelain maiden and had a 
splendid wedding-feast, and they never forgot the little hare 
who had aided them in their troubles. 


[250] 


The Enchanted, Whistle 


r HERE was once a rich and powerful king, who had 
a daughter remarkable for her beauty. When this 
princess arrived at an age to be married, he caused 
a proclamation to be made by sound of a trumpet, and by 
placards on all the walls of his kingdom, to the effect that 
all those who had any pretension to her hand were to assemble 
in a widespread meadow. 

Her would-be suitors being in this way gathered together, 
the princess would throw into the air a golden apple, and 
whoever succeeded in catching it would then have to solve 
three problems, after doing which he might marry the prin¬ 
cess, and, the king having no son, inherit the kingdom. 

On the day appointed the meeting took place. The prin¬ 
cess threw the golden apple into the air, but not one of the 
first three who caught it was able to complete the easiest task 
set him, and neither of them attempted those which were to 
follow. 

At last the golden apple, thrown by the princess into the 
air for the fourth time, fell into the hands of a young shepherd, 
who was the handsomest, but at the same time the poorest of 
all the competitors. 

The first problem given him to solve—certainly as difficult 
as a problem in mathematics—was this: 

The king had caused one hundred hares to be shut up 
in a stable; he who should succeed in leading them out to 
feed upon the meadow where the meeting was being held, the 
next morning, and conduct them all back to the stable -the 
next evening, would have solved the first problem. 

When this proposition was made to the young shepherd he 

[251] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

asked to be allowed a day to reflect upon it; the next day he 
would say “ Yes ” or “ No ” to it. 

The request appeared so just to the king that it was granted 
to him. 

He immediately took his way to the forest, to meditate there 
on the means of accomplishing the task set him. 

With down-bent head he slowly traversed a narrow path 
running beside a brook, when he came upon a little old woman 
with snow-white hair, but sparkling eyes, who inquired the 
cause of his sadness. 

The young shepherd replied, shaking his head: 

“ Alas! nobody can be of any assistance to me, and yet I 
greatly desire to wed the king’s daughter.” 

“ Don’t give way to despair so quickly,” replied the little 
old woman; “ tell me all about your trouble, and perhaps I 
may be able to get you out of your difficulty.” 

The young shepherd’s heart was so heavy that he needed 
no entreaty to tell her his story. 

“ Is that all ? ” said the little old woman; “ in that case you 
have not much to despair about.” 

And she took from her pocket an ivory whistle and gave 
it to him. 

This whistle was just like other whistles in appearance; so 
the shepherd, thinking that it needed to be blown in a particu¬ 
lar way, turned to ask the little old woman how this was, 
but she had disappeared. 

Full of confidence, however, in what he regarded as a good 
genius, he went next day to the palace and said to the king: 

“ I accept, sir, and have come in search of the hares to 
lead them to the meadow.” 

On hearing this the king rose, and said to his minister of 
the interior: 

“ Have all the hares turned out of the stable.” 

The young shepherd placed himself on the threshold of 
the door to count them; but the first was already far away 
when the last was set at liberty; so much so, that when he 
reached the meadow he had not a single hare with him. 

[252] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

He sat himself down pensively, not daring to believe in 
the virtue of his whistle. However, he had no other resource, 
and placing the whistle to his lips he blew into it with all his 
might. 

The whistle gave forth a sharp and prolonged sound. 

Immediately, to his great astonishment, from right and left, 
from before him and behind him—from all sides in fact— 
leaped the hundred hares, and set to quietly browsing on the 
meadow around him. 

News was brought to the king how the young shepherd had 
probably solved the problem of the hares. 

The king conferred on the matter with his daughter. 

Both were greatly vexed; for if the young shepherd suc¬ 
ceeded with the two other problems as well as he had with 
the first, the princess would become the wife of a simple peas¬ 
ant, than which nothing could be more humiliating to royal 
pride. 

“ You think over the matter,” said the princess to her 
father, “ and I will do the same.” 

The princess retired to her chamber, and disguised herself in 
such a way as to render herself unrecognizable; then she had 
a horse brought for her, mounted it, and went to the young 
shepherd. 

The hundred hares were frisking joyously about him. 

“ Will you sell me one of your hares ? ” asked the young 
princess. 

“ I would not sell you one of my hares for all the gold in 
the world,” replied the shepherd; “ but you may gain one.” 

“ At what price ? ” asked the princess. 

“ By dismounting from your horse and sitting by me on 
the grass for a quarter of an hour.” 

The princess made some objections, but as there was no 
other means of obtaining the hare, she descended to the ground, 
and seated herself by the young shepherd. 

The hundred hares leaped and bounded around him. 

At the end of a quarter of an hour, during which the young 
shepherd said a hundred tender things to her, she arose and 

[253] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

claimed her hare, which the shepherd, faithful to his promise, 
gave her. 

The princess joyfully shut it in a basket which she carried 
at the bow of her saddle, and rode back toward the palace. 

But hardly had she ridden a quarter of a league, when the 
young shepherd placed his whistle to his lips and blew into 
it; and, at this imperative call, the hare forced up the lid of 
the basket, sprang to the ground, and made off as fast as his 
legs would carry him. 

A moment afterward, the shepherd saw a peasant coming 
toward him, mounted on a donkey. It was the old king, also 
disguised, who had quitted the palace with the same intention 
as his daughter. 

A large bag hung from the donkey’s saddle. 

“ Will you sell me one of your hares ? ” he asked of the 
young shepherd. 

“ My hares are not for sale,” replied the shepherd; “ but 
they may be gained.” 

“ What must one do to gain one ? ” 

The shepherd considered for a moment. 

“ You must kiss three times the tail of your donkey,” he said. 

This strange condition was greatly repugnant to the old 
king, who tried his hardest to escape it, going so far as to 
offer fifty thousand francs for a single hare, but the young 
shepherd would not budge from the terms he had named. At 
last the king, who held absolutely to getting possession of 
one of the hares, submitted to the conditions, humiliating as 
they were for a king. Three times he kissed the tail of his 
donkey, who was greatly surprised at a king doing him so 
much honor; and the shepherd, faithful to his promise, gave 
him the hare demanded with so much insistence. 

The king tucked his hare into his bag, and rode away at 
the utmost speed of his donkey. 

But he had hardly gone a quarter of a league, when a shrill 
whistle sounded in the air, on hearing which the hare nibbled 
at the bag so vigorously as speedily to make a hole, out of 
which it leaped to the ground and fled. 

[254] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Well ? ” inquired the princess, on seeing the king return to 
the palace. 

“ I hardly know what to tell you, my daughter,” replied the 
king. “ This young shepherd is an obstinate fellow, who re¬ 
fused to sell me one of his hares at any price. But don’t 
distress yourself; he’ll not get so easily through the two other 
tasks as he has done with this one.” 

It need hardly be said that the king made no allusion to 
the conditions under which he had for a moment had pos¬ 
session of one of his hares, nor that the princess said nothing 
about the terms of her similar want of success. 

“ That is exactly my case,” she remarked; “ I could not in¬ 
duce him to part with one of his hares, neither for gold nor 
silver.” 

When evening came, the shepherd returned with his hares; 
he counted them before the king; there was not one more or 
one less. They were given back to the minister of the interior, 
who had them driven into the stable. 

Then the king said: 

“ The first problem has been solved; the second now remains 
to be accomplished. Pay great attention, young man.” 

The shepherd listened with all his ears. 

“ Up yonder, in my granary,” the king went on, “ there are 
one hundred measures of gray peas, and one hundred meas¬ 
ures of lentils; lentils and peas are mixed together; if you 
succeed to-night, and without light, in separating them, you 
will have solved the second problem.” 

“ I’ll do my best,” replied the young shepherd. 

And the king called his minister of the interior, who con¬ 
ducted the young man up to the granary, locked him in, and 
handed the key to the king. 

As it was already night, and as for such a labor there was 
no time to be lost, the shepherd put his whistle to his lips, 
and blew a long, shrill note. 

Instantly five thousand ants appeared, and set to work sepa¬ 
rating the lentils from the peas, and never stopped until the 
whole were divided into two heaps. 

[ 255 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The next morning the king, to his great astonishment, be¬ 
held the work accomplished. He tried to raise objections, but 
was unable to find any ground whatever. 

All he could now do was to trust to the third trial, which, 
after the shepherd’s success in the other two trials, he feared 
to be not very hopeful. However, as the third was the most 
difficult of all, he did not give way to despair. 

“ What now remains for you to do,” he said, “ is to go into 
the bread-room, and, in a single night, eat the whole week’s 
bread, which is stored there. If to-morrow morning not a 
single crumb is to be found, I will consent to your marrying 
my daughter.” 

That same evening the young shepherd was conducted to 
the bread-room of the palace, which was so full of bread that 
only a very small space near the door remained unoccupied. 

But at midnight, when all was quiet in the palace, the 
shepherd sounded his whistle. In a moment ten thousand mice 
fell to gnawing at the bread in such a fashion that the next 
morning not a single crumb remained in the place. 

The young man then hammered at the door with all his 
might, and called out: 

“ Make haste and open the door, please, for I’m hungry! ” 

The third task was thus victoriously accomplished, as the 
others had been. 

Nevertheless, the king tried hard to get out of his engage¬ 
ment. 

He had a sack, big enough to hold six measures of wheat, 
brought; and, having called a good number of his courtiers 
about him, said: “ Tell us as many falsehoods as will fill 
this sack, and when it is full you shall have my daughter.” 

Then the shepherd repeated all the falsehoods he could 
think of; but the day was half spent, and he was at the end 
of his fibs, and still the sack was far from being full. 

“ Well,” he went on, “ while I was guarding my hares the 
princess came to me disguised as a peasant, and, to get one 
of my hares, permitted me to kiss her.” 

The princess, who, not in the least suspecting what he was 
[256] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

going to say, had not been able to close his mouth, became as 
red as a cherry; so much so that the king began to think that 
the young shepherd’s tarradiddle might possibly be true. 

“ The sack is not yet full, though you have just dropped a 
very big falsehood into it,” cried the king. “ Go on.” 

The shepherd bowed and continued: “ A moment after the 
princess was gone, I saw his Majesty, disguised as a peasant 
and mounted on a donkey. His Majesty also came to buy 
one of my hares; seeing, then, what an eager desire he had to 
obtain a hare from me, what do you imagine I compelled him 
to do?” 

“ Enough! enough! ” cried the king; “ the sack is full.” 
A week later the young shepherd married the princess. 


[257] 


^Jungfrau Maleen 


^V^HERE was once upon a time a king’s son, who went 
/ a-wooing the daughter of another mighty king, and 
JL her name was Jungfrau Maleen. Her father, how¬ 
ever, refused his permission to the match, because he wished 
her to marry some one else. But they both still loved one an¬ 
other so dearly, that Jungfrau Maleen told her father she 
could not and would not marry any one except this prince. 
When she said so, her father flew into a great passion, and 
caused a gloomy tower to be built, into which no ray of either 
sun or moon could penetrate. When it was completed he said 
to his daughter: “ For seven years you shall sit therein; and at 
the end of that period I will come and see if your stubborn 
disposition is conquered.” Meat and drink sufficient for these 
seven years were carried into the tower, and then the prin¬ 
cess and her maid were led into it, and bricked up, so that 
earth and heaven were shut out from them. They were quite 
in darkness, and knew no difference between day and night. 
The prince often came to the outside of the tower and called 
their names, but they heard nothing, for no sound could pene¬ 
trate through the thick walls. What could they do, then, ex¬ 
cept weep and lament their fate! So time passed by; and, by 
the decreasing of their food and drink, they perceived that 
the end of their imprisonment was approaching. They imag¬ 
ined that their release was at hand; but no sound of a hammer 
was to be heard, nor were any stones picked out of the wall, 
and it seemed as if the king had forgotten them. So, when 
they had sufficient food left for only a few days, and the 
prospect of a miserable death stared them in the face, Jungfrau 
Maleen said to her companion, “ It is time now that we should 
try to break through the wall.” 

[258] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

So saying, she took their bread-knife, and picked and 
scraped away the mortar round one stone; and when she was 
tired, the maid assisted her. After a long time they succeeded 
in taking out one stone, then a second, and a third, and thus, 
after three days’ labor, a ray of light illumined their cell; and 
then they made the opening so large that they could peep 
through it. The heaven was blue and a fresh breeze came in 
their faces, but how mournful looked everything around! The 
castle of the king lay in ruins; the towns and villages, as far 
as the eye could reach, were burned to the ground; the fields 
far and near were laid waste; and not one human being was 
to be seen. Soon the opening in the wall was so large that 
they could pass through it; and the maiden first jumping out, 
her mistress followed her. But where were they to turn? 
Enemies had depopulated the whole kingdom, and driven away 
or slain the king, with all his subjects. The pair therefore 
wandered on and on, seeking some happier country; but no¬ 
where could they find a shelter, or any man to give them bread 
to eat, and their hunger compelled them to eat the burned 
roots of nettles. 

However, after much weary traveling, they did at last come 
to cultivated land, and there, at every house, they offered their 
services; but nobody would take them in or show them any 
pity. At last they arrived at a large city, and went to the 
king’s palace; but there, also, they were on the point of being 
turned back, when the cook told them they might stop and 
serve as kitchen-maids if they liked. 

Now the son of this king was the very same who was be¬ 
trothed to Jungfrau Maleen, and his father had engaged him 
to another maiden, who was as wickedly disposed in her heart 
as she was ugly in her looks. When the two travelers ar¬ 
rived, the wedding-day had been already appointed, and the 
bride was come, but she had shut herself up in her room, and 
would not be seen, because of her ugliness, and Jungfrau 
Maleen was ordered to take in her meals. When the day came 
that the betrothed couple should go to church, the bride-elect 
was so ashamed of her ugliness that she feared she should 

[259] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

be laughed at and derided by the common people if she showed 
herself to them. So she said to Jungfrau Maleen: “A great 
piece of luck is presented to you, for I have hurt my foot and 
cannot walk at all on the road; so you shall put on my bridal 
clothes, and take my place; a greater honor could not have 
fallen to your share.” 

Jungfrau Maleen, however, refused, and said, “ I desire no 
honor that does not belong to me ”; and she would not be 
tempted even with gold. At last the bride-elect exclaimed 
passionately: “ If you do not obey me, it shall cost you your 
life. I have only to say one word, and your head will lie at 
my feet.” 

Jungfrau Maleen was now forced to comply, and she ar¬ 
rayed herself in the bridal clothes and ornaments. As soon 
as she appeared in the royal apartments all were astonished 
at her great beauty, and the king told his son she was the 
bride whom he had chosen for him, and it was time now to 
go to church. The prince was astonished, and thought to 
himself: “ She looks like my Jungfrau Maleen, and I almost 
believe it is she; but no! she is dead, or shut up in the tower.” 
He took the maiden by the hand, and led her to the church, 
and on the road they passed a nettle-bush, whereupon the bride 
sang in a strange language: 

“ Nettle-bush! O nettle-bush! 

Have you forgot the day 
When I cooked your juicy roots, 

My hunger sharp to stay? ” 

“What did you say then?” asked the prince. “Nothing! 
I was only thinking of Jungfrau Maleen,” replied the seeming 
bride. He marveled that she should know her, but he said 
nothing, and when they came to the church steps she sang: 

“ Church steps, break not, I pray, 

The true bride comes not to-day.” 

“ What did you say ? ” asked the prince. “ Nothing,” she 
replied, as before; “ I was but thinking of Jungfrau Maleen.” 

[ 260 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Do you know that maiden, then ? ” asked the prince. 
“ No, how should I? I have only heard of her,” said she; and 
when they passed through the church door she sang: 

“ Church door, crack not, I pray, 

The true bride comes not to-day.’* 

“ What did you say ? ” asked the prince a third time. 
“ Alas! I was only thinking of Jungfrau Maleen,” she said. 
Then he drew out a costly chain and fastened it around her 
neck, and thereupon they walked into the church, and the 
priest, joining their hands together at the altar, married them 
in due form. The ceremony over, the bridegroom led back 
the bride, but she never spoke a single word all the way home. 
As soon as they arrived at the palace, she hastened into the 
bride’s chamber, and, laying aside her beautiful clothes and 
ornaments, she put on her gray kirtle, but kept the chain which 
she had received from the bridegroom round her neck. 

When night came, and it was time for the bride to be 
ushered into the bridegroom’s chamber, the ugly maiden let 
fall her veil over her features, that the deceit might not be 
discovered. As soon as they were alone, the bridegroom asked 
her, “ What did you say to the nettle-bush which we passed 
on the road ? ” 

“ To what nettle-bush ? ” she asked; “ I spoke to no nettle- 
bush ! ” 

“ If you did not, you are not my real bride,” said he. There¬ 
upon she left the room, and, seeking Jungfrau Maleen, asked 
her what she had said to the nettle-bush. She sang the words 
over: 

“ Nettle-bush! O nettle-bush! 

Have you forgot the day 
When I cooked your juicy roots, 

My hunger sharp to stay?” 

And as soon as she had done, the bride ran back to the room 
and repeated them to the prince. “ But what did you say to 
the church steps as we passed up them?” he inquired. “To 

[261] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the church steps! ” she echoed in surprise; “ I spoke to none.” 
“ Then you are not the right bride! ” said the bridegroom 
again. “ I will go and ask my maid what my thoughts were,” 
said the bride; and, seeking Jungfrau Maleen, she inquired of 
her what she had said. The maid repeated the words: 

“ Church steps, break not, I pray, 

The true bride comes not to-day.” 

“ That shall cost you your life! ” exclaimed the bride; but, 
hastening back to the chamber, she told the prince the words 
which she had just heard. “ But what did you say to the 
church door? ” he inquired next. “ To the church door! ” she 
replied; “ I spoke to no church door.” 

“ Then you are not the right bride,” said the prince. There¬ 
upon away she went a third time to Jungfrau Maleen, and 
inquired what she had said. The maid repeated the words: 

“ Church door, crack not, I pray, 

The true bride comes not to-day.” 

“ Your neck shall be broken for saying so!” exclaimed the 
bride in a rage; but, hastening back to the chamber, she re¬ 
peated the words she had just heard to the bridegroom. 

“ But where have you put the chain I gave you at the 
church door ? ” asked the prince. 

“ What chain ? you gave me no chain ? ” exclaimed the bride. 
“ But I hung it round your neck myself, and fastened it my¬ 
self,” said the bridegroom; “ and if you do not remember that, 
you are not the right bride.” With that he tore the veil from 
her face, and when he saw her extreme ugliness, he exclaimed, 
springing away from her, “Who are you? whence come you? ” 

“ I am your betrothed bride,” she replied; “ but, because I 
feared the people would mock me if I showed myself to them, 
I ordered our kitchen-maid to put on my dresses, and go to 
church in my place.” 

“ Where is the girl then, now ? Go and fetch her imme¬ 
diately,” said the prince. 

[262] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

She went out and told the other servants that the kitchen- 
maid was an enchantress, and that they must drag her away 
from the court and cut off her head. The servants soon caught 
the maiden, and would have done as they were told; but she 
cried so loudly for help that the prince heard her voice, and 
hastening out of his room gave orders for the maiden’s in¬ 
stant release. Lights were immediately brought, and then the 
prince perceived round the maiden’s neck the gold chain which 
he had given her at the church door. 

“ You are the true bride who went to church with me! ” 
he exclaimed; “ come with me now! ” As soon as they were 
alone he said to her: “ On the way to church you named Jung¬ 
frau Maleen, who was once betrothed to me. Now, if I thought 
it possible, I should say that you were that maiden, for you 
are so like to her.” 

“ I am Jungfrau Maleen! ” she replied; “ and for seven long 
years have I been shut up in darkness; hunger and thirst, too, 
I have suffered; and in poverty and distress have I lived ever 
since; but on this day the sun shines again. I did, indeed, 
accompany you to church, and it was to me that you were 
married.” 

So the prince recovered his true bride, Jungfrau Maleen, and 
with her lived happily for many long years. 


[263] 


The IVt.ood-Cutter s Child 


>^\NCE upon a time, near a large forest, there dwelt a 
f J wood-cutter and his wife, who had only one child, a 
little girl three years old: but they were so poor that 
they had scarcely food sufficient for every day in the week, 
and often they were puzzled to know what they should get 
to eat. One morning the wood-cutter, his heart full of care, 
went into the wood to work; and, as he chopped the trees, 
there stood before him a tall and beautiful woman, having a 
crown of shining stars upon her head, who thus addressed 
him: “ I am the guardian angel of every Christian child; thou 
art poor and needy; bring me thy child, and I will take her 
with me. I will be her mother, and henceforth she shall be 
under my care.” The wood-cutter consented, and calling his 
child, gave her to the angel, who carried her to the land of 
Happiness. There everything went happily; she ate sweet 
bread, and drank pure milk; her clothes were gold, and her 
playfellows were beautiful children. When she attained her 
fourteenth year, the guardian angel called her to her side, 
and said: “ My dear child, I have a long journey for thee. 
Take these keys of the thirteen doors of the land of Happi¬ 
ness : twelve of them thou mayest open, and behold the glories 
therein; but the thirteenth, to which this little key belongs, 
thou art forbidden to open. Beware! if thou dost disobey, 
harm will befall thee.” 

The maiden promised to be obedient, and, when the guardian 
angel was gone, began her visits to the mansions of Happi¬ 
ness. Every day one door was unclosed, until she had seen 
all the twelve. In each mansion there sat an angel, surrounded 
by a bright light. The maiden rejoiced at the glory, and the 

[264] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

child who accompanied her rejoiced with her. Now the for¬ 
bidden door alone remained. A great desire possessed the 
maiden to know what was hidden there; and she said to the 
child: “ I will not quite open it, nor will I go in, I will 
only unlock the door, so that we may peep through the chink.” 
“ No, no,” said the child; “ that will be a sin. The guardian 
angel has forbidden it, and misfortune would soon fall upon 
us.” 

At this the maiden was silent, but the desire still remained 
in her heart, and tormented her continually, so that she had 
no peace. One day, however, all the children were away, and 
she thought, “ Now I am alone and can peep in; no one will 
know what I do ”; so she found the keys, and, taking them 
in her hand, placed the right one in the lock and turned it 
around. Then the door sprang open, and she saw three angels 
sitting on a throne, surrounded by a great light. The maiden 
remained a little while standing in astonishment; and then, 
putting her finger in the light, she drew it back, and found it 
covered with gold. Then great alarm seized her, and, shut¬ 
ting the door hastily, she ran away. But her fear only in¬ 
creased more and more, and her heart beat so violently that 
she thought it would burst; the gold also on her finger would 
not come off, although she washed it and rubbed it with all 
her strength. 

Not long afterward the guardian angel came back from her 
journey, and, calling the maiden to her, demanded the keys of 
the mansion. As she delivered them up, the angel looked in 
her face, and asked: “ Hast thou opened the thirteenth door ? ” 
“ No,” answered the maiden. 

Then the angel laid her hand upon the maiden’s heart, and 
felt how violently it was beating; and she knew that her com¬ 
mand had been disregarded, and that the girl had opened the 
door. Then she asked again: “ Hast thou opened the thir¬ 
teenth door?” “ No,” said the maiden, for the second time. 

Then the angel perceived that the girl’s finger had become 
golden from touching the light, and she knew that she must 
be guilty; and she asked her for the third time: “ Hast thou 

[265] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

opened the thirteenth door?” “No,” said the maiden 
again. 

Then the guardian angel replied: “Thou hast not obeyed 
me, nor done my bidding; therefore thou art no longer worthy 
to remain among good children.” 

And the maiden sank down into a deep sleep, and when she 
awoke she found herself in the midst of a wilderness. She 
wished to call out, but she had lost her voice. Then she 
sprang up, and tried to run away; but wherever she turned 
thick bushes held her back, so that she could not escape. In 
the deserted spot in which she was inclosed there stood an 
old hollow tree; this was her dwelling-place. In this place 
she slept by night; and when it rained and blew she found 
shelter within it. Roots and wild berries were her food, and 
she sought for them as far as she could reach. In the autumn 
she collected the leaves of the trees, and laid them in her 
hole; and when the frost and snow of the winter came, she 
clothed herself with them, for her clothes had dropped into 
rags. But during the sunshine she sat outside the tree, and 
her long hair fell down on all sides and covered her like 
a mantle. Thus she remained a long time, experiencing the 
misery and poverty of the world. 

But, once, when the trees had become green again, the king 
of the country was hunting in the forest, and, as a bird flew 
into the bushes which surrounded the wood, he dismounted, 
and, tearing the brushwood aside, cut a path for himself with 
his sword. When he had at last made his way through, he 
saw a beautiful maiden, who was clothed from head to foot 
with her own golden locks, sitting under the tree. He stood 
in silence, and looked at her for some time in astonishment; 
at last he said: “ Child, how came you into this wilderness ? ” 
But the maiden answered not, for she had become dumb. 
Then the king asked: “ Will you go with me to my castle ? ” 
At that she nodded her head, and the king, taking her in his 
arms, put her on his horse and rode away home. Then he gave 
her beautiful clothing, and everything in abundance. Still 
she could not speak; but her beauty was so great, and so won 

[266] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

upon the king’s heart, that after a little while he married 
her. 

When about a year had passed away the queen brought a 
son into the world, and the same night, while lying alone in 
her bed, the guardian angel appeared to her, and said: 

“ Wilt thou tell the truth, and confess that thou didst un¬ 
lock the forbidden door ? For then will I open thy mouth, and 
give thee again the power of speech; but if thou remainest ob¬ 
stinate in thy sin, then will I take from thee thy new-born 
babe.” 

And the power to answer was given to her, but her heart 
was hardened, and she said, “ No, I did not open the door ”; 
and at these words the guardian angel took the child out of 
her arms and disappeared with him. 

The next morning, when the child was not to be seen, a 
murmur arose among the people that their queen was a mur¬ 
deress, who had destroyed her only son; but, although she 
heard everything, she could say nothing. Still the king did 
not believe the ill report, because of his great love for her. 

About a year afterward another son was born, and on the 
night of his birth the guardian angel again appeared, and 
asked: “ Wilt thou confess that thou didst open the forbidden 
door? Then will I restore to thee thy son, and give thee the 
power of speech; but if thou hardenest thyself in thy sin, then 
will I take this new-born babe also with me.” 

Then the queen answered again, “No, I did not open the 
door ”; so the angel took the second child out of her arms 
and bore him away. On the morrow, when the infant could 
not be found, the people said openly that the queen had slain 
him, and the king’s councilors advised that she should be 
brought to trial. But the king’s affection was still so great 
that he would not believe it, and he commanded his council¬ 
ors never again to mention the report on pain of death. 

The next year a beautiful little girl was born, and for the 
third time the guardian angel appeared and said to the queen, 
“ Follow me ”; and taking her by the hand, she led her to the 
kingdom of Happiness, and showed to her the two other chil- 

[267] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

dren who were playing merrily. The queen rejoiced at the 
sight, and the angel said: “ Is thy heart not yet softened? If 
thou wilt confess that thou didst unlock the forbidden door, 
then will I restore to thee both thy sons.” But the queen again 
answered, “No, I did not open it”; and at these words she 
sank upon the earth, and her third child was taken from her. 

When this was rumored abroad the next day, all the people 
exclaimed, “ The queen is a murderess! she must be con¬ 
demned ! ” and the king could not this time repulse his coun¬ 
cilors. Thereupon a trial was held, and since the queen could 
make no good answer or defense, she was condemned to die 
upon a funeral pile. The wood was collected, she was bound 
to the stake, and the fire was lighted all around her. Then the 
iron pride of her heart began to soften, and she was moved 
to repentance, and she thought, “ Could I but now, before 
my death, confess that I opened the door! ” And her tongue 
was loosened, and she cried aloud: “ Thou good angel, I con¬ 
fess.” At these words the rain descended from heaven and 
extinguished the fire; then a great light shone above, and the 
angel appeared and descended upon the earth, and by her 
side were the queen's two sons, one on her right hand and the 
other on her left, and in her arms she bore the new-born babe. 
Then the angel restored to the queen her three children, and 
loosening her tongue, promised her a happy future, and said: 
“ Whoever will repent and confess their sins, they shall be 
forgiven.” 


[268] 


Soria Mori a Castle 


X^vNCE on a time there lived a poor couple who had a 
i i son whose name was Halvor. Ever since he was a little 
boy he would turn his hand to nothing, but just sat 
there and groped about the ashes. 

His father and mother often put him out to learn this and 
that trade, but Halvor could stay nowhere; when he had 
been there a day or two, he ran away from his master, and 
never stopped till he was at home, poking about the cinders. 

Well, one day a skipper came and asked Halvor if he 
hadn’t a mind to be with him, and go to sea and see strange 
lands. Yes, Halvor would like that very much, so he wasn’t 
long in getting himself ready. 

How long they sailed I am sure I cannot tell; but the end 
of it was they fell into a great storm, and when it was blown 
over and all was still again, they could not tell where they 
were. They had been driven away to a strange coast, which 
none of them knew anything about. 

Well, as there was just no wind at all, they stayed lying 
windbound there, and Halvor asked the skipper’s leave to go 
on shore and look about him. He would sooner go, he said, 
than lie there and sleep. 

“ Do you think now you’re fit to show yourself before folk? ” 
asked the skipper. 

But Halvor stuck to his wish, and so at last he got leave; 
but he was to be sure and come back as soon as ever it began 
to blow. So off he went and found a lovely land. Wherever 
he went there were fine, large, flat corn fields and rich meads, 
but he could not catch a glimpse of a living soul. 

It began to blow, but Halvor thought he had not seen 

[269] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

enough yet, and he wanted to walk a little farther—just to see 
if he could not meet some one; so he walked on, and after a 
while he came to a broad highroad, so smooth and even you 
might easily roll an egg about it. 

Halvor followed this road, and when evening began to 
draw in he saw a great castle, ever so far off, from which the 
sunbeams shone. He had now walked the whole day and 
hadn’t taken a bit to eat with him, so now he was as hungry 
as a hunter; but still the nearer he came to the castle the 
more afraid he grew. 

In the castle kitchen a great fire was blazing, and Halvor 
went into it, but such a kitchen he had never seen in all his 
life, it was so grand and fine. There were vessels of silver 
and vessels of gold, but not a living soul. So when Halvor 
had stood there a while and no one came out, he went and 
opened a door, and there inside sat a princess, who spun upon 
a spinning-wheel. 

“ Nay, nay, now,” she called out, “ dare Christian folk come 
hither? You had best be off about your business, if you don’t 
want the troll to gobble you up; for here lives a troll with 
three heads.” 

“ All one to me,” said the lad. “ I’d be just as glad to hear 
he had four heads besides; I’d like to see what kind of a fellow 
he is. As for going, I will not go at all, I have done no harm; 
but meat you must give me, for I’m nearly starved to death.” 

When Halvor had eaten his fill, the princess told him to try 
if he could brandish the sword that hung against the wall; but 
no, he could not brandish it, he could not even lift it up. 

“Oh!” said the princess, “now you must go and take a 
pull of that flask that hangs by its side; that is what the troll 
does every time he goes out to use the sword.” 

Halvor took a pull, and in the twinkling of an eye he could 
brandish the sword like anything! Now he thought it high 
time the troll came; and lo! just then up came the troll, 
puffing and blowing. Halvor jumped behind the door. 

“ Ho! ho! ” said the troll, as he put his head in at the door, 
“ what a smell of Christian man’s blood! ” 

[270] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Ah,” said Halvor, “ you’ll soon know that to your cost! ” 
and with that he hewed off all his heads. 

Now the princess was so glad she was free, she both danced 
and sang; but then all at once she called her sisters to mind, 
and said: 

“ Would my sisters were free, too! ” 

“ Where are they?” asked Halvor. 

Well, she told him all about it; one had been taken away 
by a troll to his castle, which lay fifty miles off, and the other 
by another troll to his castle, which was fifty miles farther 
still. 

“ But now,” said she, “ you must first help me to get this 
ugly carcass out of the house.” 

Yes, Halvor was so strong he swept everything away, and 
made it all clean and tidy in no time. Next morning he set off 
at peep of dawn to try and find the princess’s sisters, but when 
he saw the first castle he grew a little bit afraid: it was far 
grander than the first, and here, too, there was no living soul 
to be seen. 

So Halvor went into the kitchen, and, as there was no 
one there, he passed farther into the house. 

“ Nay, nay,” cried the princess, “ you must not come here. 
I don’t know how long it is since I came, I’m sure, but I have 
not seen a Christian since. It will be best for you to get 
away as quickly as you can, for here lives a troll who has six 
heads.” 

“No, I shouldn’t go,” said Halvor, “even if he had six more 
heads! ” 

“ He will take you up and swallow you down alive,” said the 
princess. 

But it was no good, Halvor would not go; he wasn’t at all 
afraid of the troll, but meat and drink he must have, for he 
was very hungry after his long journey. Well, he got as much 
of that as he wished, but then the princess wanted him to be 
off again. 

“No!” said Halvor, “I have nothing to be afraid about, 
and I have done no harm.” 

[271] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ He won’t stay to ask that,” said the princess. “ He will 
take you without leave or law; but as you will not go, just 
see if you can brandish that sword, which the troll wields in 
war.” 

He could not move it; and then the princess said he must 
have a drink from the flask which hung beside it, and when 
he had done that he could brandish it easily. 

Just then the troll came back, and he was both stout and 
big, so much so that he had to go sideways to get through 
the door. When the troll had his first head in, he called 
out: 

“ Ho! ho! what a smell of Christian man’s blood! ” 

But that very moment Halvor hewed off his first head, and 
so with all the rest as they popped in. 

The princess was overjoyed; but just then she began to 
think of her sisters, and wished aloud that they were free. 
Halvor thought that might easily be done, and wanted to be 
off at once; but first he had to help the princess to get the 
carcass of the troll out of the way, so he could not start till 
next morning. 

It was a very long way to the castle, and he had to walk 
fast; but about nightfall he saw the castle, which was far 
finer and grander than either of the others. This time he 
wasn’t the least afraid, but walked straight through the 
kitchen and into the castle. There sat a princess, who was so 
pretty there was no end to her loveliness. 

She, too, like the others, told him there had not been 
Christian folk there ever since she came, and she bade him 
go away, else the troll would most certainly gobble him up. 
This troll, she told him, was very ugly, with nine heads. 

“ Well, well,” said Halvor. “ If he had nine other heads 
still, I would not go away.” 

The princess again begged him to go away, as she was sure 
the troll would eat him alive, but Halvor said: 

“ Let him come as soon as he likes; I really do not mind.” 

So she gave him the troll’s sword, and bade him take a 
pull at the flask, that he might be able to brandish it easily. 

[ 272 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Just then back came the troll, puffing and blowing and 
tearing along. He was far stouter and bigger than the other 
two, and he also had to turn sideways to get through the 
door. So when he got his first head in, he said, as the others 
had said: 

“ Ho, ho! what a smell of Christian man’s blood! ” 

That very moment Halvor hewed off the first head, and 
then all the rest; but the l^st was the toughest of them all, 
and it was the hardest bit of work Halvor had ever had to do 
to get it hewn "off, although he knew very well he had strength 
enough to do it. 

So all the princesses came together to that castle, which 
was called Soria Moria Castle , and they were very glad and 
happy. They were all fond of Halvor, and Halvor of them, 
and he might choose the one he liked best for his bride; but 
the youngest was fondest of him of all the three. 

After a while Halvor grew strange and dull and silent. 
Then the princesses asked him what he lacked, and if he 
didn’t want to live with them any longer. Yes, he did, for 
they had enough and to spare, and he was well off in every 
way; but still, somehow or other, he did so long to go home, 
for his father and mother were alive, and he had such a great 
wish to see them. 

Well, the princesses thought that might easily be managed. 

“ You shall go thither and come back hither, safe and 
unscathed, if you will only follow our advice,” said the 
princesses. 

Yes, he would be sure to mind all they said. So they 
dressed him up till he was as grand as a king’s son, and set 
a ring on his finger. It was such a wonderful ring he could 
wish himself thither and hither with it; but they told him to 
be sure not to take it off, and not to name their names, for 
there would be an end of all his bravery, and then he would 
never see them more. 

“ If I only stood at home, I’d be glad,” said Halvor, and 
it was done, as he had wished. There stood Halvor at his 
father’s cottage door before he knew a word about it. Now, 

[273] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

it was about dusk at even, and so, when they saw such a 
grand, stately lord walk in, the old couple grew so afraid they 
began to bow and scrape. 

Then Halvor asked if he couldn’t stay there for the night. 

“ We cannot do it at all,” they said, “ for we haven’t this 
thing or that thing which such a lord is used to having. 
’Twere best your lordship went up to the farm, no long way 
off, for you can see the chimneys, and there they have lots of 
everything.” 

Halvor would not hear of it; he wanted to stop; but the 
old couple stuck to their opinion—that he had better go to 
the farmer’s; there he would get both meat and drink. As 
for them, they hadn’t even a chair to offer him to sit down 
on. 

“ No,” said Halvor, “ I will not go up there till to-morrow 
morning; let me just stay here to-night. If the worst comes 
to the worst, I can sit in the chimney-corner.” 

Well, they couldn’t say anything against that, so Halvor 
sat down by the ingle, and began to poke about in the ashes, 
just as he used to do when he'was at home in the old days, 
and stretched his lazy bones. 

They chattered and talked about many things, so Halvor 
asked them if they had ever had any children. 

“ Yes, we had one lad, whose name was Halvor, but we do 
not know where he has wandered, and cannot even tell whether 
he is dead or alive.” 

“ Couldn’t it be me, now ? ” said Halvor. 

“ Let me see. I could tell him well enough,” said the old 
wife, and rose up. “ Our Halvor was so lazy and dull he 
never did a thing; and besides, he was so ragged that one 
tatter took hold of the next tatter on him. No, there never 
was the making of such a fine fellow in him as you are, 
master.” 

A little while after, the old wife went to the hearth to poke 
up the fire, and when the blaze fell on Halvor’s face, just as 
when he was at home of old poking about in the ashes, she 
knew him at once. 


[274] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“Ah! but it is you, then, after all, Halvor?” she cried, and 
then there was such joy for the old couple there was no 
end to it. 

He was forced to tell how he had fared, and the old dame 
was so fond and proud of him, nothing would do but he must 
go up at once to the farmer’s and show himself to the lassies, 
who had always looked down upon him. 

Off she went, and Halvor followed. When she reached 
there, she told them all how Halvor had fared while away, 
and how he had come home again. 

“ Now you shall just see how real grand he is. He looks like 
nothing but a king’s son.” 

“ All very fine,” said the lassies, and tossed up their heads. 
“ We’ll be bound he is just the same beggarly, ragged boy he 
always was.” 

Just then in walked Halvor, and the lassies were so taken 
aback they hardly knew what to do. They were so shame¬ 
faced they scarce dared look at Halvor, toward whom they 
had always been proud and haughty. 

“ Aye, aye,” said Halvor, “ you always thought yourselves 
so pretty and neat no one could come near you; but now, you 
should just see the eldest princess I have set free. Against 
her you look like milkmaids, and the midmost is prettier still, 
while the youngest, who is my sweetheart, is fairer than both 
sun and moon. I wish to goodness she were only here; then 
you would see what you would see!” 

He had scarce uttered the words before there they stood; 
but then he felt so sorry, for he remembered what they had 
told him. 

At the farm there was a great feast got ready for the 
princesses, and much was made of them, but they would not 
stop there. 

“ No, we want to go down to your father and mother,” they 
said to Halvor, “ so we will make a start.” 

He went down with them, and they came to a great lake 
just outside the farm. Close by the water there was such a 
lovely green bank; here the princesses said they would sit 

[ 275 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and rest a little—they thought it so sweet to sit and look 
at the water. 

They sat and chatted for a while, when the youngest prin¬ 
cess said: 

“ I may as well comb your hair, Halvor.” 

So Halvor laid his head on her lap, and she combed his 
bonny locks, and it wasn’t long before Halvor fell fast asleep. 
Then she took the ring from his finger and placed another in 
its stead, and said: 

“ Now hold me all together! and now, would we were all 
in Soria Moria Castle.” 

And as she spoke the words they were all whisked up into 
the air and carried far away through the blue sky. 

When Halvor woke up he could see he had lost the prin¬ 
cesses, and began to weep and wail, and became so downcast 
no one could comfort him. In spite of all his father and 
mother said, he wouldn’t stop there, but took farewell of 
them, saying he was sure not to see them again; for if he 
could not find the princesses again, he thought it not worth 
while to live. 

Well, he had still three hundred pounds left, so he set out 
on his way. When he had gone some distance he met a man 
with a horse and he wanted to buy it, and began to bargain 
with the man. 

“ Aye,” said the man, “ to tell the truth, I never thought of 
selling him; but if-” 

“What do you want for him?” asked Halvor. 

“ I didn’t give much for him, nor is he worth much; he is 
a brave horse to ride, but he cannot draw at all; still he’s 
strong enough to carry you and your knapsack, turn and 
turn about,” said the man. 

At last they agreed on the price, and Halvor laid the knap¬ 
sack on him, and walked a bit and rode a bit in turn. At last 
he came to a green plain where stood a great tree, at the 
roots of which he sat down. There he let the horse loose, and 
opened his knapsack and took a meal. At peep of day he 
set off again, for he could take no rest. So he rode and 

[276] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

walked and walked and rode the whole day. He didn’t know 
at all where he was nor whither he was going, but he gave 
himself no time to rest, only when his horse cropped a bit 
of grass and he took a snack out of his knapsack when they 
came to one of those nice green glades. 

At dusk the next day he saw a light gleaming away through 
the trees. 

“ Would there were folk over there,” said Halvor, “ that I 
might warm myself a bit and get a morsel to keep body and 
soul together.” 

When he got up to it he saw the light came from a 
wretched little hut, and through the window he saw an old 
couple inside. They were as gray-headed as a pair of doves, 
and the old wife had such a nose! why, it was so long she used 
it for a poker to stir the fire as she sat in the ingle. 

“ Good-evening,” said Halvor. 

“ Good-evening,” said the old wife. 

“ But what errand can you have in coming hither? ” she 
went on, “ for no Christian folk have been here these three 
hundred years or more.” 

Well, Halvor told her all about himself, and how he wanted 
to get to Soria Moria Castle, and asked if she knew the 
way. 

“No,” said the old wife, “that I don’t; but see now, here 
comes the Moon. I’ll ask her; she’ll know all about it, for 
doesn’t she shine on everything ? ” 

So when the Moon stood clear and bright over the tree- 
tops, the old wife went out. 

“ THOU MOON, THOU MOON,” she screamed, “ canst 
thou tell me the way to Soria Moria Castle?” 

“ No,” said the Moon, “ that I cannot, for the last time I 
shone there a cloud stood before me.” 

“ Wait a bit still,” said the old wife to Halvor; “ by and by 
comes the West Wind; he’s sure to know it, for he puffs and 
blows round every corner.” 

“ Nay, nay,” said the old wife when she went out again, 
“ you don’t mean to say that you have got a horse, too! Just 

[277] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

turn the poor beast in our yard, and don’t let him stand 
there and starve to death at the door.” 

Then she ran on: 

“ But won’t you give him to me? Oh, I should like him. 
We have an old pair of boots here, with which you can take 
twenty miles at each stride; those you shall have for your 
horse, and so you will get all the sooner to Soria Moria 
Castle.” 

That Halvor was willing to do, and wanted to be off at 
once, but the old wife said there was no hurry. 

“ Lie down on the bench with you and sleep a bit, and I 
will watch and wake you when the West Wind comes.” 

So after a while up came the West Wind roaring and 
howling. 

Out ran the old wife. 

“ THOU WEST WIND, THOU WEST WIND, canst 
thou tell me the way to Soria Moria Castle? Here’s one who 
wants to get thither.” 

“ Yes, I know it well,” said the West Wind, “ and now I’m 
just off thither to dry clothes for the wedding that’s to be; if 
he is swift of foot he can go with me.” 

Out ran Halvor. 

“ You’ll have to stretch your legs if you mean to keep up,” 
said the West Wind. 

So off he set over field and hedge, and hill and dale, and 
Halvor had hard work to keep up. 

“ Well,” said the West Wind, “ now I have no time to stay 
with you any longer, for I have got to go away yonder and 
tear up a strip of spruce wood first, before I go to the bleach- 
ing-ground to dry the clothes. If you go alongside the hill 
you’ll come to a lot of lassies standing washing clothes, and 
then you’ll not have far to go to Soria Moria Castle.” 

In a little while Halvor came upon the lassies who were 
washing, and they asked him if he had seen anything of the 
West Wind, who was to come and dry the clothes for the 
wedding. 

“Aye, aye, that I have,” said Halvor; “he’s only gone to 
[278] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

tear up a strip of spruce wood,” and then he asked them the 
way to Soria Moria Castle. 

So they put him into the right way, and when he got to the 
castle it was full of folk and horses; so full it made one 
giddy to look at them. But Halvor was so torn and ragged 
from following the West Wind through bush and brier and 
bog, that he kept on one side, and wouldn’t show himself 
until the last day when the bridal feast was to be. 

So when all, as was then right and fitting, were to drink 
the bride and bridegroom’s health and wish them luck, and 
when the cup-bearer was to drink to them all again, both 
knights and squires, last of all he came to Halvor. He drank 
their health, but let the ring which the princess had put upon 
his finger fall into the glass, and bade the cup-bearer go and 
greet the bride and hand her the glass. 

Then up rose the princess from the table. 

“ Who is most worthy to have one of us,” she said: “he 
that has set us free, or he that here sits by me as bride¬ 
groom ? ” 

Well, they all said there could be but one voice and will as 
to that; and when Halvor heard this, he wasn’t long in throw¬ 
ing off his beggar’s rags, and arraying himself as bridegroom. 

“ Aye, aye, here is the right one, after all,” said the young¬ 
est princess as soon as she saw him; so she sent the other over 
to one of her sisters, and held her wedding with Halvor. 


[279] 


Mons Tro 


^^\NCE upon a time there were two poor people who lived 
MM in the country, and had a houseful of children. Then 
one day they had another little baby, a boy, and they 
wanted to have him christened, but they could not get any one 
to be godfather; everybody they asked made some excuse, for 
everybody was afraid that, as the parents were so poor, the boy 
might become a burden upon the godfather. So the day came 
for the child to be taken to church, but as yet no godfather had 
been found for him. 

Now it happened that on that very day an old beggar man 
came to the door and begged for a trifle, and they willingly 
gave him what they had to give. Then he, seeing there was 
something amiss, begged them to tell him their trouble. So 
they told him all about it, and then he offered to stand god¬ 
father to the child. 

“ You shall have no cause to regret it,” said he. 

In their distress they knew not what else to do, so they ac¬ 
cepted his offer; and then they took the child to church, and 
the old beggar stood godfather. But they had forgotten to tell 
him what the child was to be called; so when the clergyman 
asked the name, the godfather answered: 

“ Mons Tro ! 1 I don’t know.” 

But the clergyman only caught the words “ Mons Tro,” so 
he christened the boy by that name, and wrote it down after¬ 
ward in the parish register Mogens Tro. 

The parents were delighted with the name, and declared 
they could never have found a better. “ For,” said they, “ now 

1 " Mons tro,” an expression similar to “ i’faith.” “ Mons” is also 
an abbreviation of the proper name “ Mogens.” 

[280] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

he has got both a surname and a Christian name.” Then they 
took the old beggar home with them and regaled him with the 
best of all they had. Before bidding them good-by, he took a 
rusty little key out of his pocket and gave it to the father, 
saying: 

“ Take great care of this key till the boy is fourteen years 
old, and then give it to him. It is my christening present.” 
Then he thanked them once more, and bade them farewell, and 
they never saw him again. 

The boy grew and thrived in all respects. He became tall 
and strong, and was honest and truthful, too, so he caused his 
parents no anxiety, and did no dishonor to his name. The key 
was not taken much care of, though, for they gave it to the 
child to play with, and he threw it away and lost it. Many 
years after that, when he was grown big enough to help his 
father at his work, he was turning over a dirt-heap, and there 
he found a rusty key. He showed it to his mother, and she rec¬ 
ognized it at once, so she told him it was the key that had been 
given to him as a christening present, and then she repeated 
what the old man had said to them about it. The boy put the 
key in his waistcoat-pocket, and from that day he looked upon 
it as his own property. 

His fourteenth birthday was a day of wonders. When he 
and his father and mother got up in the morning they saw, 
standing right in front of their door, a pretty little house that 
had never stood there before, and the like of which they had 
never seen anywhere. It was built of wood, and carved in the 
most artistic manner from top to bottom. It was indeed a 
splendid house compared with the one they lived in. But it 
had no windows, and the only opening was a high door right 
up in the gable, and that was locked. The man and his wife 
both stood and stared; they could not make it out at all, and 
they could not conceive where the house came from, or how 
it got there. But Mons Tro said directly: 

“ This is my christening gift.” So he pulled the rusty old 
key out of his pocket and tried it in the lock. Yes—it fitted; 
and he opened the door and walked in, and there stood the 

[281] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

prettiest little gray horse, all ready saddled, and on the wall 
hung a whole suit of beautiful new clothes. Mons Tro put 
them on, and found they fitted him like a skin. Then he 
mounted the horse; and there were the stirrups, too—they were 
exactly the right length for him. So he bade his father and 
mother farewell, and told them he was going out into the 
world to seek his fortune. So off he started at a gallop, and 
how that horse could gallop; it was like flying through the air, 
they went so fast! 

After he had ridden some distance the horse said: 

“If you get hungry, feel in my right ear; if you get thirsty, 
feel in my left ear.” 

“ Well, I never! ” said Tro. “ Can you talk, my good horse? 
That is grand.” And it was also a grand thing to have food 
and refreshment always at hand. 

Well, on they went again, at a tremendous pace over hill 
and over dale, and they soon came to a wood where it was beau¬ 
tifully cool. The horse now only went at a walking pace, 
snorting and blowing after his hard gallop. 

Tro spied something glittering lying on the road and found 
that it was a feather which shone like pure gold. 

“ I must have that,” said he, and was about to dismount and 
pick it up. 

“ Nay,” said the horse; “ let it alone, or you will repent 
it.” 

So he let it alone, and rode on. Then he saw another feather 
lying in the road, that shone brighter than the first, and he 
wanted to pick it up; but the horse said: 

“ Let it alone, or you will repent it.” 

When they had gone a little farther there lay another feather, 
prettier even than the others. Tro could not bear to leave it 
there, so, although the horse said: 

“ If you follow my advice you will let it alone; if you do not 
you will repent it,” he jumped down and picked up the feather; 
and after that he could not resist picking up a second, and 
then a third, of the same kind that lay in the road farther on. 
They were wonderful feathers; each one glittered like pure 

[282] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

gold, but when you held them all three together and looked at 
them, then you saw a picture—the picture of a most beautiful 
maiden. Tro could scarcely take his eyes off it. At last he 
hid the feathers carefully in his pocket, and rode on again at 
a flying pace till they came to the king’s castle. 

“ You must stop here,” said the horse, “ and enter the king’s 
service.” 

So Tro got off his horse, and went to the master of the 
horse and asked if he could not give him a place about the 
stables; he did not want any wages, only food for himself and 
his little gray horse. And so he took service there as a stable- 
boy. There was a great deal for him to see and to learn, and he 
took good care of the king’s horses; but he did not forget to 
look after his own little horse. And so things went on very 
well for a while. Tro had his own room down by the stables, 
and in the evening, when he had finished his work, he used to 
go to his room, hang something up before the window, and 
then take out his three gold feathers. They shone like the sun, 
so that it was as light as day in the room, and from the midst 
of the feathers shone forth the picture of the beautiful maiden 
that Tro was never tired of looking at. There he sat, evening 
after evening, trying to copy the picture. It never seemed to 
him well enough done, so he began it over and over again, and 
each time it kept getting better and better. 

Now, it was against the rules to burn a light in the stables; 
but although Tro covered up the window every evening most 
carefully, somebody found out that there was a light in the 
room and told the master of the horse, who at once went down 
to see about it. Yes; sure enough, there was a light in the 
stable-boy’s room. But, as the master of the horse entered, Tro 
managed to hide away the feathers, and there was no longer 
any light to be seen; he had, however, no time to hide his 
drawing, so the man at once pounced upon it, and took it from 
him. The next morning he went to the king and complained of 
Tro. He had had a light in his room against the rules, the 
master of the horse said, and although they had been unable 
to discover the light, yet he had found Tro, sitting there draw- 

[283] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

ing pictures—“ like this one/’ added he, showing it to the 
king. 

The king wished to know the rights of the story, so Tro was 
summoned before him. 

“ What picture is this ? ” asked the king. 

Well, it was one he had drawn himself. 

“ Have you any more of them ? ” asked the king. 

Yes, he had. So he was obliged to go and fetch them. 
There were thirty-six of them, all alike, only the last was the 
best done. 

“ What did you copy it from? ” asked the king; “ and how 
can you draw in the dark? For you say you have never 
burned a light in the stablest 

Then Tro was forced to confess everything, and even to 
produce the three feathers for the king to see. 

The king stood for a long time gazing steadfastly at the 
feathers, and at the picture they contained. Then he asked 
whose likeness it was, and Tro said he did not know. 

“ Ah! you know more than you care to tell; and as you* won’t 
say, I will. That is the likeness of the most beautiful princess 
in all the world. I was to have married her when I was young, 
and now I am quite an old fellow. She belonged to me by 
right, for I killed her father, and took possession of his king¬ 
dom. But she managed to get away, and nobody has ever been 
able to find her. All whom I have sent to seek her have re¬ 
turned empty-handed. And I have never consented to marry 
any one else, for I wasn’t going to throw myself away; and she 
was, as I have said, the loveliest princess in all the world, and 
so she still is undoubtedly. As you have her picture, of course 
you know where she is; and you shall bring her here to me, or 
your life shall pay the forfeit.” 

It was of no use for Tro to declare that he did not know 
where she was, and that he had found the feathers in the road. 
The king persisted: either he should promise to fetch the prin¬ 
cess, or he should be hanged immediately. 

“ Well, I will try,” said Tro. “ That will give me a little 
respite, at any rate,” thought he. He went down to the stables, 

[284] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and lamented and bemoaned himself to his little gray horse. 
He was to go and fetch a princess, when he did not in the least 
know where she was! 

“ It serves you right,” said the horse; “ that is for the first 
feather you picked up. I told you then you would repent it. 
But, all the same, I will help you this once, though, for that 
matter, you will have to die some day.” 

So the horse told him all about the princess, whose likeness 
he had. It was quite true that she was still alive, and that she 
was still the loveliest princess in all the world, but she lived in 
a castle at the world’s end. She had been changed into a bird 
with gleaming, golden feathers, and Tro had picked up some of 
those feathers. Now, if he was to go and find her, and fetch 
her here, he must first go to the king and demand a man-of-war 
fully equipped, for there was a wide sea to cross. And the ship 
was to be built entirely of mahogany, with copper bolts and cop¬ 
per sheathing, or she would never hold out for the long voyage. 

Then Tro went to the king and demanded the ship, and the 
king promised that he should have it. The king did not possess 
such a ship, so he had to have it built, and that took some time. 
As soon as the ship was ready Tro went and told his little gray 
horse; and the little gray horse said: 

“ Go to the king again and demand a hundred barrels of beef, 
a hundred barrels of loaves made of wheaten flour, and a hun¬ 
dred barrels of worms. And you must also have a hundred 
wagons, each to carry two barrels, and two hundred ropes for 
the sailors who are to draw the hundred wagons, for part of 
your journey will be on land after you have sailed to the coun¬ 
try that leads to the world’s end.” 

Then Tro went to the king, who granted all his demands, 
and everything was brought on board the man-of-war. So 
then he went again to his little gray horse and told him that 
was done. 

“ Well, now give me a ton of hay, and take off my halter, 
and then do you go on board.” 

And Tro did as he was told; and just as the ship sailed out 
of harbor a white poodle sprang on board and lay down at 

[285] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Tro’s feet. And then he knew he should have his friend and 
helper with him on his travels. 

The ship sped swiftly over the waves, and as the wind was 
always in their favor they soon came out into mid-ocean. Then, 
by the poodle’s advice, Tro emptied the hundred barrels of 
worms into the water, as a present to all the fishes in the sea. 
And then the empty barrels were thrown overboard for the 
whales to play with. All the fishes assembled and feasted on 
the worms, and all the whales danced round the ship, and 
played ball with the barrels. And so they sailed on and on 
till they came to the world’s end. There they landed, and they 
filled the hundred wagons with the hundred barrels of beef and 
the hundred barrels of wheaten loaves, and the two hundred 
sailors (the ship’s crew) seized hold of the ropes that were 
made fast to the wagons, and so they journeyed on inland. 
First they came to an immense pack of wolves and bears, who 
were howling and growling and fighting and biting each other 
to pieces from sheer starvation. Tro gave them the hundred 
barrels of beef, and so they were very pleased to let him pass 
on. Next they came to a crowd of giants, who were fighting 
and battling over one loaf of bread, which they all wanted to 
have because they were so hungry. Tro gave them the hun¬ 
dred barrels of wheaten loaves, so they were very glad, and 
made room for him to pass with his dog and his ship’s crew; 
and the giants all cried: 

“ Thank you! Here have we been fighting for a hundred 
years without getting one mouthful; and now, if ever you 
want us to help you, we will, of that you may be sure.” Then 
Tro sent all the sailors back to the ship; but he and his dog 
journeyed on till they came in sight of a castle that shone like 
the sun. 

“ Now we must wait,” said the dog, “ till the right time 
comes. No one can get into the castle, except during three 
hours of the day, for there are so many poisonous serpents and 
adders round the castle, and they sleep only during the three 
hottest hours of the day, and only then can we get past them 
alive.” 


[ 286] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

So when the right time was come, and all the serpents and 
adders were asleep, Tro slipped past them with the poodle, who 
told Tro what to do. All the gates and doors stood open, and 
Tro went into the castle, and out of one room into another, 
until he came to a room where a golden bird sat asleep upon 
a perch. It had feathers just like those Tro had found. Then 
Tro crept softly up and pulled out the longest feather from the 
bird’s neck. So the bird awoke out of its sleep, and at the same 
moment it was changed into a most beautiful princess, exactly 
like the one in the picture that Tro knew so well. 

“ How did you manage to get past my dogs ? ” said she. 

“ I gave them as much meat as they could eat.” 

“ How did you manage to get past my giants ? ” said she. 

“ I gave them as much bread as they wanted.” 

“ How did you manage to get past my serpents and adders ? ” 
said she. 

“ I waited till the right time,” answered Tro. 

“ What is your errand ? ” she then asked. 

“ I am come to fetch you home to a king who lives a long 
way off, and wishes to make you his queen; so you must come 
with me,” said Tro. 

“ Yes—to-morrow,” said she; “ but now you must first sit 
down to table with me and have something to eat.” 

So they came to a room where there was a table set out with 
all kinds of dishes, and they took their places at it. But Tro 
would only eat of the dish at the top of the table, and would 
not touch anything else at all. His dog had told him that be¬ 
forehand, and he was very careful not to disobey him in any¬ 
thing. Then the princess took Tro all over the castle, and 
showed him all its treasures; but there was no living thing to be 
seen in it, except the princess, who had been a bird. Then she 
showed him a splendid bedroom, with a great many ready¬ 
made beds in it, and told him he might sleep in one of them till 
the next morning, if he liked. 

But Tro said: 

“ No; he and his dog would sleep under the castle gateway.” 
And so they did. 

[287] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Next day Tro went to the princess, and asked if she would 
go with him. 

“ No,” said she; “ first you must find me, and pick me out of 
the skeins of silk lying there.” And with that she vanished, 
and in her place lay a large packet of silks of every color. 

Tro knew what to do, for the, dog had told him. He looked 
for one skein of silk that was a shade darker than any of the 
others, and when he had found it, he drew it from the packet, 
took out his knife, and pretended he was going to cut it in half. 

In a moment the princess stood again at his side, and begged 
him to stop. And that was because her life was in that skein 
of silk. 

After that Tro sat down again to dinner with her; but this 
time he would only eat of the dish at the bottom of the table, 
and he left all the other dishes untouched. Then she told him 
again he might sleep in one of the ready-made beds, but Tro 
slept under the castle gateway with his dog. 

On the third day the princess refused to go with him till he 
should have found her in a truss of straw. She was hidden in 
one straw that was a shade lighter than the other. Tro found 
it, and again pretended he was going to cut it in half, when the 
princess stood once more beside him and begged him to stop, 
for now she would go with him. First she went all over the 
castle, locked all the doors and took the keys with her, and last 
of all she locked the castle gate, and took that key with her. 
That was a heavy bunch of keys she had to carry. Then she 
left the castle with Tro. And all the way down to the sea-shore 
the princess walked, carrying the keys with her. Then they 
went on board, and the sails were spread, and the wind was in 
their favor all the way home, as it had been all the way out. 

When they were in the mid-ocean the princess seized her 
opportunity and threw the keys overboard into the sea. But 
the poodle saw her do it, and told Tro, who called all the fishes 
and begged them to look for the keys. And the fishes remem¬ 
bered the feast he had given them, and they all set about seek¬ 
ing for them, little and big. But for a long time no keys were 
to be found, for the sea is wide and deep, and there are hills 

[288] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and dales and caves and caverns down in its depths. And the 
poor fishes hurt their scales so much, hunting about for the 
keys, that they cried till their eyes were red, and that is why 
they all have red eyes to this day. 

But at last an old lobster came with a bunch of keys she had 
found stuck between two stones, and stuck so fast that the lob¬ 
ster had broken one of its claws in getting it loose, and that is 
why the lobster now has one long and one short claw. So Tro 
took the keys and hid them away without the princess knowing 
anything about it. 

At last they reached the land where the old king lived; and 
the king was delighted with the princess, who looked as young 
and as lovely as ever, and he wanted to be married directly. 
But she said “ No ”; that was not to be thought of until she 
could have her own castle, with all its treasures, placed side by 
side with the king’s palace. This was the condition, and until 
that was fulfilled there would be no wedding. 

The king sent directly for Tro, and told him that he had 
done very well so far: he had brought the princess back with 
him; but still, that was not of the slightest use, as she had not 
her own castle with her. Why had he not brought it with 
him? He must promise to do that, or his life should pay the 
forfeit. 

This put Tro into a great state of mind, so he went down to 
the stables, where his little gray horse was once more estab¬ 
lished, and bitterly bewailed his fate. He might as well die at 
once, he said, for it was impossible he should ever accomplish 
that; and since the beautiful princess was to be married to the 
old king, he did not even want to live any longer. 

“ Ah! this is for the second feather you picked up,” said the 
horse. “ Did I not tell you you would repent it ? Still, for this 
once I will help you, though you will have to die some day all 
the same. Go to the king and demand a new ship, just like the 
first, with just as large a crew and just the same cargo.” 

Tro did so, and he had everything given to him as before, 
and, in short, everything happened over again. The poodle 
went with him, the fishes had the hundred barrels of. worms, 

[289] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and the whales had the empty barrels to play with. Tro got 
to the world’s end; the bears and the wolves had the hundred 
barrels of beef, and the giants had the hundred barrels of 
wheaten loaves. And when he came to the castle that shone 
like the sun, all the giants came and lifted it up, and carried it 
down to the sea-shore, where all the whales had assembled 
themselves together, and they bore it on their broad backs over 
the wide ocean, and shot it up right inland, until it stood close 
to the king’s castle. Then it was announced to the princess 
that her castle was come, and so now the wedding could take 
place. But she said it was not of the slightest use having the 
castle there, as she had no keys—she had lost them on the 
journey. 

At first the king was of opinion that that was of no conse¬ 
quence—there were plenty of locksmiths in the land. But al¬ 
though they called together all the locksmiths, there was not 
one of them who could make a key or a picklock that would 
open one of the doors. So the king called Tro, and again 
threatened him with death if he did not contrive to get the keys. 

This time Tro did not take it so much to heart; he had the 
bunch of keys, and he brought them straightaway to the prin¬ 
cess. So now there was nothing to stand in the way of the 
wedding. 

“ Yes, there was,” the princess said, for there were still two 
things she must have before the wedding could take place—a 
bottle of the water of life and a bottle of the water of death. 
She must have them first; and surely he who had done all the 
other things could do this—the king had only to command him 
to do it. 

So Tro was sent for again, and the king told him that all 
he had done hitherto was of no use at all, unless he could now 
procure him a bottle of the water of life and a bottle of the 
water of death. That he should, and must manage to get, and 
very quickly, too, or he should end his life upon the gallows. 

Then Tro went down to the stables again, and told his little 
gray horse what the king had ordered him to do now. And 
he didn’t care to live any longer, he said; he only wanted to bid 

[ 290] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

his little horse good-by, and then they might come and hang 
him as soon as they pleased. 

“ Ah! ” said the horse, “ this is for the third feather you 
picked up in the road. I told you then you would repent it. 
But all the same I will try to get you out of this scrape, though, 
for that matter, you will have to die some day. Just go to the 
king and ask for two silver flasks; one must be labeled ‘ The 
water of life/ and the other must be labeled ‘ The water of 
death/ Then you must saddle me, and ride away from here/ , 
1 Tro procured the two flasks, and he mounted his little gray 
horse and rode away. As he rode out of the castle yard the 
princess was standing at the window, and when she saw the 
little gray horse, she said: 

1 “ Ah! with such a helper as that you will surely be able to 

do it.” 

Tro went riding on, over hill and dale, just where the horse 
chose to take him, and at last they came to a strange land. 
Then they came to a thick wood, and the horse stopped, and 
told Tro to get down and go to a tree near by, where there was 
a raven’s nest. He was to wait till the old raven left the nest, 
and then he was to climb the tree, take one of the young birds, 
kill it, and put it back into the nest, and the flask which was 
labeled “ The water of life ” he was to put in the nest with it. 
Tro did exactly what the horse had told him; and then he 
waited close by, and kept an eye upon the raven’s nest. So the 
old raven came back and found the young one dead, and then 
he took the flask and flew away. A little while after he came 
back with the flask, and sprinkled a few drops from it over the 
dead bird, and in a moment it was alive again. Then Tro ran 
and frightened the old raven off the nest, climbed up the tree, 
and took the flask, which was half full, and came back to the 
horse, who told him that he must now go and find and catch 
an adder. He must throw something over its head so that it 
could not bite him, but he must not injure it in any way. Then 
he must climb up into the tree again, and tie the adder fast 
to the raven’s nest. Then he must put the flask labeled “ The 
water of death ” into the nest. Tro did so; and then he saw the 

[291] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

raven come back to the nest, take the flask, and fly away with 
it; and after some little time the raven came flying back again 
with the flask, and he sprinkled some of the water over the 
adder, and in a moment it was dead. Tro made haste to climb 
the tree, and found the flask was still nearly full. 

The princess had now got the two kinds of water that she 
had wished for, and so she made no further hindrance to the 
marriage, but merely said she must now find out if the water 
was of the right kind. The king considered this most reason¬ 
able, but neither he nor any one else had any wish to try it upon 
themselves. 

“ Let him who brought it come; he ought to be responsible 
for it,” said the king. 

And so Tro was fetched up to the castle. And the princess 
sprinkled him with the water of death, and immediately he fell 
down, as cold and as stiff as a corpse. But then she sprinkled 
him with the water of life, and in an instant Tro rose up, full 
of life, and he had become as handsome a man as you could see, 
much handsomer than he was before. 

Now, the old king thought it would be a fine thing to become 
so young and so handsome, so he begged the princess to do the 
same with him as she had done with Tro. The princess was 
quite willing; so the king was sprinkled first with the water of 
death and then with the water of life, and he became much 
handsomer and younger than he had been for a very long time. 
But he was not quite satisfied; he felt sure he should become 
handsomer still if he went through the ceremony again. 

“ As you please,” said the princess; and she sprinkled the 
king with the water of death, and then she said there was no 
more of the water of life left. “ So let what is dead be dead,” 
said the princess; and then she continued: “ Now, is not the 
man who has done all these things, which no other man could 
do, who brought me from the world’s end, and my castle, too, 
and my keys from the bottom of the sea, and who fetched me 
the water of life and the water of death—is not such a man as 
that the best fitted to be king in the land ? ” 

And they all agreed with her, and, indeed, nobody cared to 
[292] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

contradict her, for there was still some water of death left in 
the flask. So they proclaimed Tro king of all the land, and the 
princess, the loveliest and the cleverest in all the world, became 
his bride, and they were both very happy. 

On the wedding-day Tro went alone into the stable to his 
little gray horse, for he had him to thank for everything. So 
the horse said to him: 

“ Now, as I helped you so well, you must do me a service. 
Take a sword, and cut my head off, and lay it down close to my 
neck, and bless it three times.” 

“ No, my good horse,” said Tro; “ that I cannot possibly do.” 

“ You must, and you shall,” said the horse; “ it is for my 
good.” 

So Tro was forced to obey, and he took his sword and cut off 
the horse’s head, and laid it down close to the neck, and he 
blessed it three times, and in an instant there stood before him 
a handsome young prince. He was the queen’s brother, who 
had, like herself, been enchanted. And so now they went into 
the castle, Tro and the prince, and there were rejoicings, the 
like of which were never seen before, and the wedding festivi¬ 
ties lasted fourteen days and fifteen nights. And Tro, and the 
queen and her brother, are alive and happy to this day. 


X 293 ] 


The Emerald Book 


^■jp^HERE was once upon a time a very, very old lady, 
m who dwelt with her flock of geese in a waste place 

JL between two hills, where she had a small cottage. 

The common was surrounded by a large forest, into which 
this old woman hobbled every morning on crutches. There 
she was very active, more than one could have believed con¬ 
sidering her great age, in collecting grass for her geese; she 
gathered also all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried 
it home on her back. One would have thought so heavy a 
burden would have bowed her down to the ground, but she 
always reached home safe and sound. If any one met her, 
she greeted him kindly, and would say: “ Good day to you, 
my dear countryman; what beautiful weather it is! Ah! you 
wonder how I get over the ground, but every one must bear 
his own burden!” People at last, however, grew afraid to 
meet her, and took a bypath; and if a father passed near with 
his children, he would say to them: “Take care of that old 
woman; she has mischief behind her ears; she is a witch.” 

One morning a lively young fellow passed through the 
wood. The sun was shining brightly, the birds were singing, 
and a gentle breeze was blowing among the trees and made 
everything seem gay and pleasant. Still he had met nobody, 
till he suddenly perceived the old woman kneeling on the 
ground, and cutting grass with a sickle. She had already 
placed a large heap in her handkerchief, and by her side stood 
two baskets filled with apples and wild berries. “Ah! my 
good woman,” exclaimed the youth, “ how will you carry all 
that ? ” “I must carry it, my good master,” she replied, “ but 
rich people’s children do not want to do such things. Will 

[ 294] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

you not help me ? ” she continued, as the youth remained by 
her; “ you have a straight back yet, and young legs; it will 
be easy for you. My house is not far from here; it stands on 
the common beyond yon hill. How soon your legs could 
jump there!” 

The youth took compassion on the old woman, and replied 
to her: “ Certainly; my father is no peasant, but a rich count; 
still that you may see it is not only the peasants who carry 
burdens, I will take your bundle.” 

“ If you will try it,” said the old woman, “ I shall be much 
obliged to you; but there are the apples and berries which you 
must carry too. It is but an hour’s walk which you will have 
to take, but it will seem much less to you.” 

The youth became a little thoughtful when he heard of an 
hour’s journey, but the old woman now would not let him 
off, but packed the handkerchief of grass on his back, and 
hung the two baskets on his arms. “ See you, how light it 
is,” she said. “ No, it is not at all light,” answered the young 
count, making a rueful face; “ the bundle weighs heavily as 
if it were full of big stones, and the apples and berries seem 
like lead; I can scarcely breathe.” 

So saying he would have liked to lay the bundle down 
again, but the old woman would not permit it. “ Just see,” 
cried she in scorn, “ the young lord cannot convey what an 
old woman like me has so often borne. You people are very 
ready with your fair words, but when it comes to working, 
you are equally ready with your excuses. Why do you stand 
trembling there ? ” she continued. “ Come, pick up your legs; 
nobody will take your bundle off again.” 

Now so long as the young count walked on level ground, he 
managed pretty well, but when he came to the hill and began 
to ascend it, and the stones rolled under his feet as if they 
were alive, his strength began to fail. Drops of sweat stood 
upon his brow, and ran down his back, now hot and now cold. 
“ My good woman,” he exclaimed, “ I can go no farther till 
I have rested a while.” “ Not here, not here,” answered the 
old woman; “ when we arrive at our destination you can rest, 

[295] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

but now we must keep on; who knows what good it may 
do you! ” 

“You are shameless, you old woman!” cried the youth, 
trying to throw away the bundle, but he wearied himself in 
vain; it stuck as fast to his back as if it had grown there. 
He turned and twisted himself, but with no effect; he could 
not get rid of the bundle, and the old woman only laughed 
at his exertions, and danced around him on her crutches. 
“ Don’t put yourself in a passion, my dear lord,” she said; 
“ you are getting as red in the face as a turkey-cock. Bear 
your burden patiently; when we arrive at home, I will give 
you a good draught to refresh you.” What could he do? 
He was obliged to bear his fate and follow patiently behind 
the old woman, who appeared to become more and more active 
as his burden grew heavier. All at once she made a spring 
and jumped on the top of the bundle, where she sat down; 
and thin and withered as she was, her weight was yet more 
than that of the stoutest farm-servant. The youth’s knees 
trembled and shook, but if he did not keep onward, the old 
woman beat him with a strap and stinging nettles about the 
legs. Under this continual goading, he at last ascended the 
hill, and arrived at the old woman’s cottage just when he 
was ready to drop. As soon as the geese perceived the old 
woman they stretched out their wings and their necks and 
ran toward her crying, “ Hiss! hiss! ” Behind the flock 
walked a middle-aged woman with a stick in her hand, who 
was big and strong, but as ugly as night. “ My mother,” said 
she to the old woman, “ has something happened that you 
have remained out so long?” “Never fear, my dear 
daughter,” replied the old woman; “ nothing evil has met me, 
but in fact the young count there has carried my bundle for 
me: only think, when I was tired, he took me also on his 
back! The road has not been too long either, for we have 
been merry, and made jokes on each other.” At length the 
old woman ceased talking, and took the bundle off the 
youth’s back and the baskets from his arms, and then looking 
at him cheerfully she said to him: “ Sit down on the bench by 

[296] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the door and rest yourself; you have honestly earned your 
reward, and it shall not be overlooked.” And turning to the 
goose-girl she continued: “ Go into the house, my daughter; 
it is not correct that you should be alone with this young 
man; one ought not to pour oil on the fire, and he might fall 
in love with you.” 

The young count did not know whether to laugh or cry. 
“Such a treasure!” he thought to himself. “Why, even if 
she were thirty years younger, my heart would not be 
touched!” Meanwhile the old woman caressed and stroked 
her geese, as if they were children, and at last went into 
the house with her daughter. The youth stretched himself 
on the bench beneath an apple-tree, where the breeze blew 
softly and gently; while around him was spread a green 
meadow, covered with primroses, wild thyme, and a thousand 
other flowers. In the middle of it flowed a clear stream, on 
which the sun shone; and the white geese kept passing up and 
down or paddling in the water. “ It is quite lovely here,” he 
said to himself; “ but I am so tired that I cannot keep my 
eyes open; so I will sleep awhile, provided that no wind 
comes and blows away my legs from my body, for they are as 
tender as tinder! ” 

After he had slept some time, the old woman came and 
shook him till he awoke. “ Stand up,” she said; “ you cannot 
stop here. Certainly I did treat you rather shabbily, but it 
has not cost you your life. Now I will give you your reward; 
it will be neither money nor property, but something better.” 
With these words she placed in his hands a small book, cut 
out of a single emerald, saying: “ Keep it well, and it will 
bring you good luck.” 

The count thereupon jumped up and felt himself quite 
strong and refreshed; so he thanked the old woman for her 
present, and set off on his journey, without once looking back 
for the beautiful daughter. And when he had walked a con¬ 
siderable way he could still hear the loud cackling of the 
geese in the distance. 

The young count had to wander three days in the wilder- 

[297] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

ness before he could find his way out, and then he came to 
a large city, where, because nobody knew him, he was led to 
the royal palace, where the king and queen sat on their 
thrones. There the count sank on one knee, and drawing 
forth the emerald book, laid it at the feet of the queen. She 
bade him arise and hand the book to her; but scarcely had 
she opened it and looked at its contents than she fell as if 
dead upon the ground. Thereupon the count was seized by 
the king’s servants, and would have been led off to prison 
had not the queen soon opened her eyes and begged him to be 
set at liberty, for she must speak with him privately, and there¬ 
fore every one must leave the room. 

As soon as the queen was left alone, she began to weep 
bitterly, and to say: “ What avails all this honor and pageantry 
which surrounds me, when every morning I give way to grief 
and sorrow! I once had three daughters, the youngest of 
whom was so beautiful that all the world thought her a 
wonder. She was as white as snow, as red as the bloom of 
an apple, and her hair was like the shining of a sunbeam. If 
she cried, her tears were like pearls and gems falling from 
her eyes. When she was fifteen, her father caused her and 
her sisters to come before his throne; and you should have 
seen how the people opened their eyes when she came in, for 
it was like the appearance of the sun. The king then said to 
them: ‘ My daughters, I know not when my last day will 
arrive, and therefore to-day I will appoint what each shall do 
at my death. You all love me, but the one who loves me 
best shall have the best portion.’ They each of them said they 
loved him best; and the king then asked them whether they 
could not express in words how much they loved him, and 
then he would be able to judge. So the eldest said she loved 
him as the sweetest sugar; the second that she loved her 
father as her smartest dress; but the youngest was silent. 
‘My dear child, how do you love me?’ asked the king. ‘ I 
know not,’ she replied; ‘and I can compare my love with 
nothing.’ Her father, however, pressed her to say something, 
and at length she said: ‘ The most delicate food is tasteless to 

[298] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

me without salt, and therefore I love you, father, like salt/ 
At this reply the king became very angry, and exclaimed: 
* If you love me like salt you shall be rewarded with salt/ 
Thereupon he divided the kingdom between the two eldest 
daughters; but he caused a sack of salt to be bound on the 
shoulders of his youngest child, and two slaves were ordered 
to lead her into the wild forest. We all wept and prayed for 
her to the king, but his anger was not to be turned away. 
How she wept when she left us, so that the whole path was 
strewn with the pearls which fell from her eyes! However, 
afterward, the king did repent of his great harshness, and 
caused a search to be made in the forest for the poor child, 
but without success. And now, when I think how, perhaps, 
the wild beasts devoured her, I know not what to do for 
grief; but many a time I try to comfort myself with the idea 
that happily she is living still, concealed in some cave, or 
under the hospitable protection of some one who found her. 
But imagine my feelings when, on opening your emerald 
book, I saw lying therein a pearl of the same kind as used 
to drop from my daughter’s eyes, and then you may also 
conceive how my heart was moved at the sight. But now you 
shall tell me how you came by the pearl.” 

The young count then told the queen that he had received 
it from an old woman, living in a wood which seemed to be 
haunted, and who appeared to be a witch; but of the queen’s 
child he had neither seen nor heard anything. The king and 
queen came to the resolution to seek out this old woman, for 
they thought where the pearl had been, there they should also 
obtain news of their daughter. 

The old woman sat in her house in the wilderness, spinning 
at her wheel. It was dark already, and a faggot, which burnt 
on the hearth below, gave a feeble light. All at once there 
was a noise outside; the geese were coming home from the 
meadow, and they cackled with all their might. Soon after¬ 
ward the daughter stepped in, but the old woman scarcely 
thanked her, and only shook her head. The daughter sat 
down, and taking her wheel spun the thread as quickly as a 

[299] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

young girl. Thus they sat for two hours, without speaking 
to one another, till at length something rattled at the window, 
and two fiery eyes glared in from the outside; it was an old 
night-owl, which screeched thrice; and then the old woman, 
looking up from her work, said, “ Now is the time, my 
daughter, for you to go out and do your work.” 

The daughter got up and went away over the meadows 
deep into a valley beyond. By and by she came to a brook near 
which stood three oak-trees; and at the same time the moon 
arose round and full above the mountain, and shone so 
brightly that one might have picked up a needle by its light. 
She drew off the mask which covered her face, and then bath¬ 
ing in the brook began to wash herself. As soon as she had 
done that, she dipped the mask also in the water, and then 
laid it again on the meadow to dry and bleach in the moon¬ 
shine. But how was the maiden changed! so much you 
could never have fancied. Her golden hair fell down like 
sunbeams, and when she removed the cap which confined it, 
it covered her whole form. Only her eyes could be seen peep¬ 
ing through the tresses like the stars in heaven, and her 
cheeks blooming like the soft red of the apple-blossoms. 

But the fair maiden was nevertheless sad; and she sat 
down and wept bitterly. One tear after another flowed from 
her eyes, and rolled to the ground between her locks; and 
thus sitting she would have remained for a long time had she 
not been disturbed by a rustling noise in the branches of one 
of the trees. She jumped up and sprang away like a fawn 
disturbed by the gun of the hunter; and at the same moment 
a black cloud obscured the moon, under cover of which the 
maiden slipped on her old mask and disappeared like a light 
blown out by the wind. She ran home trembling like an 
aspen-leaf, and found the old woman standing before the 
door: but when she was about to relate what had happened 
to her, the old woman laughed, and said she knew already 
all about it. The old mother then led the maiden into the 
room and lighted a fresh faggot; but instead of sitting down 
to her wheel, she fetched a broom and began to sweep and 

[ 300 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

dust. “ It must all be clean and respectable,” said she to the 
maiden. “ But, mother,” replied she, “ why do you begin at 
this late hour? what is the matter?” 

“Do you then know what hour it is?” inquired the old 
mother. 

“ Not quite midnight, but past eleven,” returned the 
daughter. 

“ Do you not remember, then,” continued the old woman, 
“ that to-day you have been with me three years? Your time 
is now expired; we can remain together no longer!” 

“Alas! dear mother, you will not drive me out,” said the 
maiden in an alarmed tone; “ where shall I go ? I have neither 
home nor friends, and whither could I turn? I have ever done 
all you desired, and you have been satisfied with me; send me 
not away! ” The old woman would not, however, tell the 
maiden what was coming, but said instead: “ My dwelling 
is no longer here, but since the house and this room must 
be clean when I leave, hinder me not in my work, and cease 
to care on your own account; you shall find a roof under 
which to dwell, and with the reward which I shall give you, 
you will also be contented.” 

“ But do tell me what is coming,” entreated the maiden. 

“ I tell you a second time, do not disturb me in my work. 
Speak not a word more, but go into your own room and pull 
off the mask from your face, and put on the beautiful dress 
which you wore when you came to me, and then remain where 
you are till I call you.” 

And now I must tell you what befell the king and queen, 
who were preparing, when we last heard of them, to go in 
search of the old woman in the wilderness. The count was, 
first of all, despatched by night to the forest alone, and for 
two days he wandered before he found the right road. Along 
this he went till darkness overtook him, and then he climbed 
a tree to pass the night, for he feared he might lose his way 
in the dark. As soon as the moon rose he perceived a figure 
coming across the mountain, and although she had no rod in 

[301] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

her hand, he could not doubt that it was the goose-girl 
whom he had seen before at home with the old woman, 
“Oho!” he exclaimed to himself; “here comes one witch, 
and when I have got her, I will soon catch the other! ” But 
how astonished he was when, on stepping up to the brook, 
she laid aside her mask, and washed herself, and he saw her 
golden hair fall down and cover her whole figure, and render 
her more beautiful than any one he had ever before seen! He 
scarcely ventured to breathe, but he stretched out his neck as 
far as he could from the foliage and looked at her with fixed 
eyes. Unfortunately, he bent over too far, and the bough 
cracked beneath his weight; and at the same instant the 
maiden disappeared, favored by a dark cloud, and when the 
moon appeared again she was out of sight. 

The young count, however, made haste down from the tree 
and pursued the maiden with rapid strides; but before he had 
gone very far he perceived two figures wandering over the 
meadows in the twilight. They were the king and queen, who 
had perceived at a distance the light in the old woman’s cot¬ 
tage and were hastening toward it. The count told them 
what marvelous things he had witnessed by the brook, and 
they felt no doubt that he had seen their lost daughter. 
Full of joy they journeyed on till they came to the cottage, 
around which lay the geese, with their heads under their 
wings, and none stirred at their approach. The three peeped 
in at the window and saw the old woman spinning silently, 
without raising her eyes from her work, but simply nodding 
her head now and then. The room was as perfectly clean as 
if it had been inhabited by the Cloud-Men, who carry no dust 
on their feet; and for some minutes they observed the whole 
scene in silence; but at last plucking up courage they knocked 
at the window lightly. Thereupon the old woman got up, 
and looking at them kindly as if she had expected them, 
called out, “ Come in; I know who you are.” 

As soon as the king, queen, and count had entered the 
room, the old woman said: “You might have spared your¬ 
selves this long journey if you had not driven out, for three 

[ 302 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

long years in the forest, your child who was so affectionate and 
so beautiful. She has come to no harm, and for these three 
years past she has tended my geese; neither has she learned 
any evil, but kept her heart pure and spotless. But you have 
been righteously punished by the sorrow and trouble which 
you have suffered.” With these words she went to the cham¬ 
ber door and called to the daughter to come out, and as soon 
as the princess made her appearance, dressed in her silk 
gown, with Her golden hair and bright eyes, it seemed like the 
entrance of an angel into the room. 

She went up to her father and mother and fell on their 
necks and kissed them, which made them both cry with joy. 
But when she perceived the young count standing by them, 
she blushed as red as a moss-rose without knowing wherefore. 

“ My dear child,” said the king to her, “ what shall I give 
you, for I have parted my kingdom already? ” 

“ She needs nothing,” said the old woman, “ for I present 
her with the- tears which she has wept, which are in reality 
pearls more beautiful than any that can be found in the sea, 
and of more value than your entire kingdom. And for a 
further reward for her services to me I give her this house.” 
As soon as the old woman had said these words she disap¬ 
peared, and immediately, after a little knocking at the walls, 
the house became a noble palace, and the room in which they 
stood a hall, in the midst of which a princely table was set 
out, with many servants hastening to and fro. 

The story ends here, for my grandmother, who related it 
to me, had partly lost her memory, and so she had forgotten 
its conclusion. I believe, however, that the beautiful princess 
was married to the young count, and that they remained in 
the palace, and lived happily so long as God suffered them to 
remain on earth. But whether the snow-white geese whom 
the princess had tended were really men (nobody needs to 
be offended), whom the old woman had taken to herself, and 
then restored to their natural form to wait as servants upon 
the young queen, I cannot say, though I suspect it was so. 
This much is certain, that the old woman was no witch, as 

[ 303] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

people believed, but a wise woman, who had good intentions. 
Apparently, too, it was she who, at the birth of the princess, 
had endowed her with the power to weep pearls instead of 
tears. 

At this day, however, that does not happen, else would the 
poor soon become rich. 


[304] 


T'he Matsuyama Mirror 

yd LONG, long time ago, there lived in a quiet sp r 
a young man and his wife. They had one child T 
^ -l little daughter, whom they both loved with all th 
hearts. I cannot tell you their names, for they have bt u 
long since forgotten, but the name of the place where thu 
lived was Matsuyama, in the province of Echigo. 

It happened once, while the little girl was still a baby, that 
the father was obliged to go to the great city, the capital of 
Japan, upon some business. It was too far for the mother 
and her little baby to go, so he set out alone, after bidding 
them good-by, and promising to bring them home some 
pretty present. 

The mother had never been farther from home than the 
next village, and she could not help being a little frightened 
at the thought of her husband taking such a long journey, 
and yet she was a little proud too, for he was the first man 
in all that country-side who had been to the big town where 
the king and his great lords lived, and where there were so 
many beautiful and curious things to be seen. 

At last the time came when she might expect her husband 
back, so she dressed the baby in its best clothes, and herself 
put on a pretty blue dress which she knew her husband liked. 

You may fancy how glad this good wife was to see him 
come home safe and sound, and how the little girl clapped 
her hands, and laughed with delight, when she saw the pretty 
toys her father had brought for her. He had much to tell 
of all the wonderful things he had seen upon the journey, 
and in the town itself. 

“ I have brought you a very pretty thing,” said he to his 

[305] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

wife; “ it is called a mirror. Look and tell me what you see 
inside.” He gave to her a plain, white wooden box, in which, 
when she had opened it, she found a round piece of metal. 
One side was white like frosted silver, and ornamented with 
raised figures of birds and flowers, the other was bright as 
the clearest crystal. Into it the young mother looked with 
lelight and astonishment, for from its depths was looking 
her with parted lips and bright eyes, a smiling, happy face. 
What do you see ? ” again asked the husband, pleased at 
astonishment, and glad to show that he had learned some- 
.g while he had been away. “ I see a pretty woman look- 
at me, and she moves her lips as if she was speaking, and 
dear me, how odd, she has on a blue dress just like mine! ” 
Why, you silly woman, it is your own face that you see,” 
said the husband, proud of knowing something that his wife 
didn’t know. “ That round piece of metal is called a mirror; 
in the town everybody has one, although we have not seen 
them in this country place before.” 

The wife was charmed with her present, and for a few 
days could not look into the mirror often enough, for you 
must remember that, as this was the first time she had seen 
a mirror, so, of course, it was the first time she had ever 
seen the reflection of her own pretty face. But she consid¬ 
ered such a wonderful thing far too precious for every-day 
use, and soon shut it up in its box again, and put it away 
carefully among her most valued treasures. 

Years passed on, and the husband and wife still lived hap¬ 
pily. The joy of their life was their little daughter, who grew 
up the very image of her mother, and who was so dutiful 
and affectionate that everybody loved her. Mindful of her 
own little passing vanity on finding herself so lovely, the 
mother kept the mirror carefully hidden away, fearing that 
the use of it might breed a spirit of pride in her little 
girl. 

She never spoke of it, and as for the father, he had for¬ 
gotten all about it. So it happened that the daughter grew up 
as simple as the mother had been, and knew nothing of her 

[306] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

own good looks, or of the mirror which would have reflected 
them. 

But by and by a terrible misfortune happened to this happy 
little family. The good, kind mother fell sick; and, although 
her daughter waited upon her day and night, with loving care, 
she grew worse and worse, until at last there was no hope but 
that she must die. 

When she found that she must so soon leave her husband 
and child, the poor woman felt very sorrowful, grieving for 
those she was going to leave behind, and most of all for her 
little daughter. 

She called the girl to her and said: “ My darling child, you 
know that I am very ill; soon I must die, and leave your 
dear father and you alone. When I am gone, promise me 
that you will look into this mirror every night and every morn¬ 
ing; there you will see me, and know that I am still watch¬ 
ing over you.” With these words she took the mirror from 
its hiding-place and gave it to her daughter. The child prom¬ 
ised, with many tears, and so the mother, seeming now calm 
and resigned, died a short time after. 

Now, this obedient and dutiful daughter never forgot her 
mother’s last request, but each morning and evening took the 
mirror from its hiding-place, and looked in it long and ear¬ 
nestly. There she saw the bright and smiling vision of her 
lost mother, not pale and sickly as in her last days, but 
the beautiful young mother of long ago. To her at night 
she told the story of the trials and difficulties of the day, 
to her in the morning she looked for sympathy and encour¬ 
agement in whatever might be in store for her. 

So day by day she lived as in her mother’s sight, striving 
still to please her as she had done in her lifetime, and care¬ 
ful always to avoid whatever she once disapproved. 

Her greatest joy was to be able to look in the mirror and 
say, “ Mother, I have been to-day what you would have me 
to be.” 

Seeing her every night and morning, without fail, look into 
the mirror, and seem to hold converse with it, her father at 

[307] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

length asked her the reason of her strange behavior. “ Fa¬ 
ther,” she said, “ I look in the mirror every day to see my 
dear mother and to talk with her.” Then she told him of her 
mother’s dying wish, and how she had never failed to fulfil 
it. Touched by so much simplicity, and such faithful, loving 
obedience, the father shed tears of pity and affection. Nor 
could he find it in his heart to tell the child that the image 
she saw in the mirror was but the reflection of her own sweet 
face, by constant sympathy and association, becoming more 
and more like her dead mother’s day by day. 


[308] 


The Maiden Who Loved a Fish 

r HERE was once among the Marshpees, a small tribe 
who have their hunting-grounds on the shores of the 
Great Lake, near the Cape of Storms, a woman whose 
name was Awashanks. She was rather silly and very idle. 
For days together she would sit doing nothing. Then she 
was so ugly and ill-shaped that not one of the youths of the 
village would have aught to say to her by way of courtship 
or marriage. She squinted very much; her face was long and 
thin, her nose excessively large and humped, her teeth crooked 
and projecting, her chin almost as sharp as the bill of a loon, 
and her ears as large as those of a deer. Altogether she was 
a very odd and strangely formed woman, and wherever she 
went she never failed to excite much laughter and derision 
among those who thought that ugliness and deformity were 
fit subjects for ridicule. 

Though so very ugly, there was one faculty she possessed 
in a more remarkable degree than any woman of the tribe. 
It was that of singing. Nothing, unless such could be found 
in the land of spirits, could equal the sweetness of her voice 
or the beauty of her songs. Her favorite place of resort was 
a small hill, a little removed from the river of her people, and 
there, seated beneath the shady trees, she would while away 
the hours of summer with her charming songs. So beautiful 
and melodious were the things she uttered that, by the time 
she had sung a single sentence, the branches above her head 
would be filled with the birds that came thither to listen, the 
thickets around her would be crowded with beasts, and the 
waters rolling beside her would be alive with fishes, all at¬ 
tracted by the sweet sounds. From the minnow to the por- 

[309] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

poise, from the wren to the eagle, from the snail to the lob¬ 
ster, from the mouse to the mole—all hastened to the spot 
to listen to the charming songs of the hideous Marshpee 
maiden. 

Among the fishes which repaired every night to the vicinity 
of the Little Hillock, which was the chosen resting-place of 
the ugly songstress, was the great chief of the trouts, a tribe 
of fish inhabiting the river near by. The chief was of a far 
greater size than the people of his nation usually are, being 
as long as a man and quite as broad. 

Of all the creatures which came to listen to the singing of 
Awashanks none appeared to enjoy it so highly as the chief 
of the trouts. As his bulk prevented him from approaching 
so near as he wished, he, from time to time, in his eagerness 
to enjoy the music to the best advantage, ran his nose into 
the ground, and thus worked his way a considerable distance 
into the land. Nightly he continued his exertions to approach 
the source of the delightful sounds he heard, till at length he 
had plowed out a wide and handsome channel, and so ef¬ 
fected his passage from the river to the hill, a distance ex¬ 
tending an arrow’s-flight. Thither he repaired every night at 
the commencement of darkness, sure to meet the maiden who 
had become so necessary to his happiness. Soon he began 
to speak of the pleasure he enjoyed, and to fill the ears of 
Awashanks with fond protestations of his love and afifection. 
Instead of singing to him, she now began to listen to his 
voice. It was something so new and strange to her to hear 
the tones of love and courtship, a thing so unusual to be told 
she was beautiful, that it is not wonderful her head was turned 
by the new incident, and that she began to think the voice 
of her lover the sweetest she had ever heard. One thing 
marred their happiness. This was that the trout could not 
live upon land, nor the maiden in the water. This state of 
things gave them much sorrow. 

They had met one evening at the usual place, and were dis¬ 
coursing together, lamenting that two who loved each other 
so, should be doomed always to live apart, when a man ap- 

[310] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

peared close to Awashanks. He asked the lovers why they 
seemed to be so sad. 

The chief of the trouts told the stranger the cause of their 
sorrow. 

“ Be not grieved nor hopeless,” said the stranger, when the 
chief had finished. “ The impediments can be removed. I 
am the spirit who presides over fishes, and though I cannot 
make a man or woman of a fish, I can make them into fish. 
Under my power Awashanks shall become a beautiful trout.” 

With that he bade the girl follow him into the river. When 
they had waded in some little depth he took up some water 
in his hand and poured it on her head, muttering some words, 
of which none but himself knew the meaning. Immediately a 
change took place in her. Her body took the form of a fish, 
and in a few moments she was a complete trout. Having 
accomplished this transformation the spirit gave her to the 
chief of the trouts, and the pair glided off into the deep and 
quiet waters. She did not, however, forget the land of her 
birth. Every season, on the same night as that upon which 
her disappearance from her tribe had been wrought, there 
were to be seen two trouts of enormous size playing in the 
water off the shore. They continued their visits till the pale¬ 
faces came to the country, when, deeming themselves to be in 
danger from a people who paid no reverence to the spirits of 
the land, they bade it adieu forever. 


[ 311 ] 


The Journey to the Island of Souls 

X^NCE upon a time there lived in the nation of the Chippe- 
f J was a most beautiful maiden, the flower of the wilder- 
ness, the delight and wonder of all who saw her. She 
was called the Rock-rose, and was beloved by a youthful 
hunter, whose advances gained her affection. No one was like 
the brave Outalissa in her eyes: his deeds were the greatest, 
his skill was the most wonderful. It was not permitted them, 
however, to become the inhabitants of one lodge. Death came 
to the flower of the Chippewas. In the morning of her days 
she died, and her body was laid in the dust with the customary 
rites of burial. All mourned for her, but Outalissa was a 
changed man. No more did he find delight in the chase or 
on the war-path. He grew sad and shunned the society of his 
brethren. He stood motionless as a tree in the hour of calm, 
as the wave that is frozen up by the breath of the cold wind. 

Joy came no more to him. He told his discontent in the 
ears of his people, and spoke of his determination to seek his 
beloved maiden. She had but removed, he said, as the birds 
fly away at the approach of winter, and it required but due 
diligence on his part to find her. Having prepared himself, as 
a hunter makes ready for a long journey, he armed himself 
with his war-spear and bow and arrow, and set out to the Land 
of Souls. 

Directed by the old tradition of his fathers, he traveled 
south to reach that region, leaving behind him the great star. 
As he moved onward, he found a more pleasant region suc¬ 
ceeding to that in which he had lived. Daily, hourly, he re¬ 
marked the change. The ice grew thinner, the air warmer, 
the trees taller. Birds, such as he had never seen before, sang 

[312] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

in the bushes, and fowl of many kind were pluming themselves 
in the warm sun on the shores of the lake. The gay wood¬ 
pecker was tapping the hollow beech, the swallow and the 
martin were skimming along the level of the green vales. He 
heard no more the cracking of branches beneath the weight 
of icicles and snow, he saw no more the spirits of departed 
men dancing wild dances on the skirts of the northern clouds, 
and the farther he traveled the milder grew the skies, the 
longer was the period of the sun’s stay upon the earth, and 
the softer, though less brilliant, the light of the moon. 

Noting these changes as he went with a joyful heart, for 
they were indications of his near approach to the land of joy 
and delight, he came at length to a cabin situated on the brow 
of a steep hill in the middle of a narrow road. At the door 
of this cabin stood a man of a most ancient and venerable ap¬ 
pearance. He was bent nearly double with age. His locks 
were white as snow. His eyes were sunk very far into his 
head, and the flesh was wasted from his bones till they were 
like trees from which the bark has been peeled. He was 
clothed in a robe of white goat’s skin, and a long staff sup¬ 
ported his tottering limbs whithersoever he walked. 

The Chippewa began to tell him who he was, and why 
he had come thither, but the aged man stopped him, telling 
him that he knew upon what errand he was bent. 

“ A short while before,” said he, “ there passed the soul of 
a tender and lovely maiden, well known to the son of the 
Red Elk, on her way to the beautiful island. She was 
fatigued with her long journey, and rested a while in this 
cabin. She told me the story of your love, and was persuaded 
that you would attempt to follow her to the Lake of Spirits.” 

The old man further told Outalissa that if he made speed 
he might hope to overtake the maiden on the way. Before, 
however, he resumed his journey he must leave behind him 
his body, his spear, bow, and arrows, which the old man prom¬ 
ised to keep for him should he return. The Chippewa left 
his body and arms behind him, and under the direction of the 
old man entered upon the road to the Blissful Island. He 

[313] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

had traveled but a couple of bowshots when it met his view, 
even more beautiful than his fathers had painted it. 

He stood upon the brow of a hill which sloped gently down 
to the water of a lake which stretched as far as eye could see. 
Upon its banks were groves of beautiful trees of all kinds, 
and many canoes were to be seen gliding over its waves. Afar, 
in the center of the lake, lay the beautiful island appointed for 
the residence of the good. He walked down to the shore and 
entered a canoe which stood ready for him, made of a shining 
white stone. Seizing the paddle, he pushed off from the shore 
and commenced to make his way to the island. As he did 
so, he came to a canoe like his own, in which he found her 
whom he was in pursuit of. She recognized him, and the two 
canoes glided side by side over the water. Then Outalissa 
knew that he was on the Water of Judgment, the great water 
over which every soul must pass to reach the beautiful island, 
or in which it must sink to meet the punishment of the wicked. 
The two lovers glided on in fear, for the water seemed at 
times ready to swallow them, and around them they could 
see many canoes going down, which held those whose lives 
had been wicked. The Master of Life had, however, de¬ 
creed that they two should pass in safety, and they reached the 
shores of the beautiful island, on which they landed full of 
joy. 

It is impossible to tell the delights with which they found 
it filled. Mild and soft winds, clear and sweet waters, cool 
and refreshing shades, perpetual verdure, inexhaustible fer¬ 
tility, met them on all sides. , Gladly would the son of the 
Red Elk have remained forever with his beloved in the happy 
island, but the words of the Master of Life came to him in 
the pauses of the breeze, saying: 

“ Go back to thine own land, hunter. Thy time has not yet 
come. Thou hast not yet performed the work I have for thee 
to do, nor canst thou yet enjoy those pleasures which belong to 
those who have performed their allotted task on earth. Go 
back, then. In time thou shalt rejoin her, the love of whom 
has brought thee hither.” 


[ 314 ] 


The "Twelve Dancing Princesses 

^^vNCE upon a time there lived in a French village a little 
M M cow-boy, without either father or mother. His real 
V-X name was Michael, but he was always called the Star 
Gazer, because when he drove his cows over the commons to 
seek for pasture, he went along with his head in the air, gaping 
at nothing. As he had a white skin, blue eyes, and hair that 
curled all over his head, the village girls used to cry after him, 
“ Well, Star Gazer, what are you doing? ” and Michael would 
answer, “ Oh; nothing/’ and go on his way without even turn¬ 
ing to look at them. 

The fact was he thought them very ugly, with their sun¬ 
burned necks, their great red hands, their coarse petticoats, and 
their wooden shoes. He had heard that somewhere in the 
world there were girls whose necks were white and whose 
hands were small, who were always dressed in the finest silks 
and laces, and were called princesses, and while his companions 
round the fire saw nothing in the flames but common every-day 
fancies, he dreamed that he had the happiness to marry a 
princess. 

One morning about the middle of August, just at mid-day 
when the sun was hottest, Michael ate his dinner of a piece of 
dry bread, and went to sleep under an oak. And while he slept 
he dreamed that there appeared before him a beautiful lady, 
dressed in a robe of cloth of gold, who said to him: “ Go to the 
castle of Beloeil, and there you shall marry a princess.” 

That evening the little cow-boy, who had been thinking a 
great deal about the advice of the lady in the golden dress, told 
his dream to the farm people. But, as was natural, they only 
laughed at the Star Gazer. 


[ 315 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The next day at the same hour he went to sleep again under 
the same tree. The lady appeared to him a second time, and 
said, “ Go to the castle of Beloeil, and you shall marry a prin¬ 
cess.” 

In the evening Michael told his friends that he had dreamed 
the same dream again, but they only laughed at him more than 
before. “ Never mind,” he thought to himself; “ if the lady 
appears to me a third time, I will do as she tells me.” 

The following day, to the great astonishment of all the vil¬ 
lage, about two o’clock in the afternoon a voice was heard 
singing: 

“ Rale6, rale6, 

How the cattle go! ” 

It was the little cow-boy driving his herd back to the byre. 

The farmer began to scold him furiously, but he answered 
quietly, “ I am going away,” made his clothes into a bundle, 
said good-by to all his friends, and boldly set out to seek his 
fortunes. 

There was great excitement through all the village, and on 
the top of the hill the people stood holding their sides with 
laughing, as they watched the Star Gazer trudging bravely 
along the valley with his bundle at the end of his stick. 

It was enough to make any one laugh certainly. 

It was well known for full twenty miles round that there 
lived in the castle of Beloeil twelve princesses of wonderful 
beauty, and as proud as they were beautiful, and who were be¬ 
sides so very sensitive and of such truly royal blood, that they 
would have felt at once the presence of a pea in their beds, 
even if the mattresses had been laid over it. 

It was whispered about that they led exactly the lives that 
princesses ought to lead, sleeping far into the morning, and 
never getting up till mid-day. They had twelve beds all in the 
same room, but what was very extraordinary was the fact that 
though they were locked in by triple bolts, every morning their 
satin shoes were found worn into holes. 

When they were asked what they had been doing all night, 

[316] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

they always answered that they had been asleep; and, indeed, 
no noise was ever heard in the room, yet the shoes could not 
wear themselves out alone! 

At last the Duke of Belceil ordered the trumpet to be sounded, 
and a proclamation to be made that whoever could discover 
how his daughters wore out their shoes should choose one of 
them for his wife. 

On hearing the proclamation a number of princes arrived at 
the castle to try their luck. They watched all night behind the 
open door of the princesses, but when the morning came the 
poor fellows had all disappeared, and no one could tell what 
had become of them. 

When he reached the castle, Michael went straight to the 
gardener and offered his services. Now it happened that the 
garden boy had just been sent away, and though the Star Gazer 
did not look very sturdy, the gardener agreed to take him, as 
he thought that his pretty face and golden curls would please 
the princesses. 

The first thing he was told was that when the princesses got 
up he was to present each one with a bouquet, and Michael 
thought that if he had nothing more unpleasant to do than that 
he should get on very well. 

Accordingly he placed himself behind the door of the prin¬ 
cesses’ room, with the twelve bouquets in a basket. He gave 
one to each of the sisters; and they took them without even 
deigning to look at the lad, except Lina, the youngest, who 
fixed her large black eyes, as soft as velvet, on him, and ex¬ 
claimed, “ Oh, how pretty he is—our new flower boy! ” The 
rest all burst out laughing, and the eldest pointed out that a 
princess ought never to lower herself by looking at a garden 
boy. 

Now Michael knew quite well what had happened to all the 
princes, but notwithstanding, the beautiful eyes of the Princess 
Lina inspired him with a violent longing to try his fate. Un¬ 
happily he did not dare to come forward, being afraid that he 
should only be jeered at, or even turned away from the castle 
on account of his impudence. 

[317] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Nevertheless, the Star Gazer had another dream. The lady 
in the golden dress appeared to him once more, holding in one 
hand two young laurel-trees, a cherry laurel and a rose laurel, 
and in the other hand a little golden rake, a little golden bucket, 
and a silken towel. She thus addressed him: 

“ Plant these two laurels in two large pots, rake them over 
with the rake, water them with the bucket, and wipe them with 
the towel. When they have grown as tall as a girl of fifteen, 
say to each of them, ‘ My beautiful laurel, with the golden rake 
I have raked you, with the golden bucket I have watered you, 
with the silken towel I have wiped you/ Then after that ask 
anything you choose, and the laurels will give it to you.” 

]\([ichael thanked the lady in the golden dress, and when he 
woke he found the two laurel bushes beside him. So he care¬ 
fully obeyed the orders he had been given by the lady. 

The trees grew very fast, and when they were as tall as 
a girl of fifteen he said to the cherry laurel: “ My lovely cherry 
laurel, with the golden rake I have raked thee, with the golden 
bucket I have watered thee, with the silken towel I have wiped 
thee. Teach me how to become invisible.” Then there in¬ 
stantly appeared on the laurel a pretty white flower, which 
Michael gathered and stuck into his button-hole. 

That evening, when the princesses went up-stairs to bed, he 
followed them barefoot, so that he might make no noise, and 
hid himself under one of the twelve beds, so as not to take up 
much room. 

The princesses began at once to open their wardrobes and 
boxes. They took out of them the most magnificent dresses, 
which they put on before their mirrors, and when they had 
finished, turned themselves all around to admire their appear¬ 
ance. 

Michael could see nothing from his hiding-place, but he 
could hear everything, and he listened to the princesses laugh¬ 
ing and jumping with pleasure. At last the eldest said, “ Be 
quick, my sisters, our partners will be impatient.” At the end 
of an hour, when the Star Gazer heard no more noise, he 
peeped out and saw the twelve sisters in splendid garments, 

[ 318 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

with their satin shoes on their feet, and in their hands the bou¬ 
quets he had brought them. 

“ Are you ready ? ” asked the eldest. 

“ Yes,” replied the other eleven in chorus, and they took their 
places one by one behind her. 

Then the eldest princess clapped her hands three times and 
a trap-door opened. All the princesses disappeared down a 
secret staircase, and Michael hastily followed them. 

As he was following on the steps of the Princess Lina, he 
carelessly trod on her dress. 

“ There is somebody behind me,” cried the princess; “ some 
one is holding my dress.” 

“ You foolish thing,” said her eldest sister, “ you are always 
afraid of something. It is only a nail that caught you.” 

They went down, down, down, till at last they came to a pas¬ 
sage with a door at one end, which was only fastened with a 
latch. The eldest princess opened it, and they found themselves 
immediately in a lovely little wood, where the leaves were span¬ 
gled with drops of silver which shone in the brilliant light of 
the moon. 

They next crossed another wood where the leaves were 
sprinkled with gold, and after that another still, where the 
leaves glittered with diamonds. 

At last the Star Gazer perceived a large lake, and on the 
shores of the lake twelve little boats with awnings, in which 
were seated twelve princes, who, grasping their oars, awaited 
the princesses. 

Each princess entered one of the boats, and Michael slipped 
into that which held the youngest. The boats glided along 
rapidly, but Lina’s, from being heavier, was always behind the 
rest. “We never went so slowly before,” said the princess; 
“ what can be the reason ? ” 

“ I don’t know,” answered the prince. “ I assure you I am 
rowing as hard as I can.” 

On the other side of the lake the garden boy saw a beautiful 
castle splendidly illuminated, whence came the lively music of 
fiddles, kettle-drums, and trumpets. 

[319] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

In a moment they touched land, and the company jumped 
out of the boats; and the princes, after having securely fas¬ 
tened their barks, gave their arms to the princesses and con¬ 
ducted them to the castle. 

Michael followed, and entered the ball-room in their train. 
Everywhere were mirrors, lights, flowers, and damask hang¬ 
ings. 

The Star Gazer was quite bewildered at the magnificence of 
the sight. He placed himself out of the way in a corner, ad¬ 
miring the grace and beauty of the princesses. Their loveli¬ 
ness was of every kind. Some were fair and some were dark; 
some had chestnut hair, or curls darker still, and some had 
golden locks. Never were so many beautiful princesses seen 
together at one time, but the one whom the cow-boy thought 
the most beautiful and the most fascinating was the little prin¬ 
cess with the velvet eyes. 

With what eagerness she danced! Leaning on her partner’s 
shoulder she swept by like a whirlwind. Her cheeks flushed, 
her eyes sparkled, and it was plain that she loved dancing bet¬ 
ter than anything else. 

The poor boy envied those handsome young men with whom 
she danced so gracefully, but he did not know how little reason 
he had to be jealous of them. 

The young men were really the princes who, to the number 
of fifty at least, had tried to steal the princesses’ secret. The 
princesses had made them drink something like a philter, 
which froze the heart and left nothing but the love of dancing. 

They danced on till the shoes of the princesses were worn 
into holes. When the cock crowed the third time the fiddles 
stopped, and a delicious supper was served by negro boys, 
consisting of sugared orange flowers, crystallized rose- 
leaves, powdered violets, cracknels, wafers, and other dishes, 
which are, as every one knows, the favorite food of prin¬ 
cesses. 

After supper the dancers all went back to their boats, and 
this time the Star Gazer entered that of the eldest princess. 
They crossed again the wood with the diamond-spangled 

[ 320] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

leaves, the wood with gold-sprinkled leaves, and the wood 
whose leaves glittered with drops of silver, and as a proof of 
what he had seen, the boy broke a small branch from a tree in 
the last wood. Lina turned as she heard the noise made by the 
breaking of the branch. 

“ What was that noise ? ” she said. 

“ It was nothing,” replied her eldest sister; “ it was only the 
screech of the barn-owl that roosts in one of the turrets of the 
castle.” 

While she was speaking Michael managed to slip in front, 
and running up the staircase, he reached the princesses’ room 
first. He flung open the window and sliding down the vine 
which climbed up the wall, found himself in the garden just 
as the sun was beginning to rise, and it was time for him to set 
to his work. 

That day, when he made up the bouquets, Michael hid the 
branch with the silver drops in the nosegay intended for the 
youngest princess. 

When Lina discovered it she was much surprised. How¬ 
ever, she said nothing to her sisters, but as she met the boy 
by accident while she was walking under the shade of the elms, 
she suddenly stopped as if to speak to him; then, altering her 
mind, went on her way. 

The same evening the twelve sisters went again to the ball, 
and the Star Gazer again followed them and crossed the lake 
in Lina’s boat. This time it was the prince who complained 
that the boat seemed very heavy. 

“ It is the heat,” replied the princess. “ I, too, have been 
feeling very warm.” 

During the ball she looked everywhere for the gardener’s 
boy, but she never saw him. 

As they came back, Michael gathered a branch from the 
wood with the gold-spangled leaves, and now it was the eldest 
princess who heard the noise that it made in breaking. 

“ It is nothing,” said Lina; “ only the cry of the owl that 
roosts in the turrets of the castle.” 

As soon as she got up she found the branch in her bouquet. 

[3 21 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

When the sisters went down she stayed a little behind and said 
to the cow-boy, “ Where does this branch come from ? ” 

“ Your royal highness knows well enough/’ answered 
Michael. 

“ So you have followed us ? ” 

“ Yes, princess.” 

“ How did you manage it? We never saw you.” 

“ I hid myself,” replied the Star Gazer quietly. 

The princess was silent a moment, and then said: 

“You know our secret!—keep it. Here is the reward of 
your discretion.” And she flung the boy a purse of gold. 

“ I do not sell my silence,” answered Michael, and he went 
away without picking up the purse. 

For three nights Lina neither saw nor heard anything ex¬ 
traordinary; on the fourth she heard a rustling among the 
diamond-spangled leaves of the wood. That day there was 
a branch of the tree in her bouquet. 

She took the Star Gazer aside, and said to him in a harsh 
voice, “ You know what price my father has promised to pay 
for our secret ? ” 

“ I know, princess,” answered Michael. 

“ Don’t you mean to tell him ? ” 

“ That is not my intention.” 

“ Are you afraid ? ” 

“ No, princess.” 

“ What makes you so discreet, then ? ” 

But Michael was silent. 

Lina’s sisters had seen her talking to the little garden boy, 
and jeered at her for it. 

“What prevents your marrying him?” asked the eldest; 
“ you would become a gardener too; it is a charming profes¬ 
sion. You could live in a cottage at the end of the park, and 
help your husband to draw up water from the well, and when 
we get up you could bring us our bouquets.” 

The Princess Lina was very angry, and when the Star Gazer 
presented her bouquet, she received it in a disdainful manner. 

Michael behaved most respectfully. He never raised his 
[322] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

eyes to her, but nearly all day she felt him at her side without 
ever seeing him. 

One day she made up her mind to tell everything to her 
eldest sister. 

“ What! ” said she, “ this rogue knows our secret, and you 
never told me! I must lose no time in getting rid of him.” 

“ But how?” 

“ Why, by having him taken to the tower with the dun¬ 
geons, of course.” 

For this was the way that in old times beautiful princesses 
got rid of people who knew too much. 

But the astonishing part of it was that the youngest sister 
did not seem at all to relish this method of stopping the mouth 
of the gardener’s boy, who, after all, had said nothing to their 
father. 

It was agreed that the question should be submitted to the 
other ten sisters. All were on the side of the eldest. Then 
the youngest sister declared that if they laid a finger on the 
little garden boy, she would herself go and tell their father 
the secret of the holes in their shoes. 

At last it was decided that Michael should be put to the 
test; that they would take him to the ball, and at the end of 
supper would give him the philter which was to enchant him 
like the rest. 

They sent for the Star Gazer, and asked him how he had 
contrived to learn their secret; but still he remained silent. 

Then, in commanding tones, the eldest sister gave him the 
order they had agreed upon. 

He only answered: 

“ I will obey.” 

He had really been present, invisible, at the council of prin¬ 
cesses, and had heard all; but he had made up his mind to 
drink of the philter, and sacrifice himself to the happiness of 
her he loved. 

Not wishing, however, to cut a poor figure at the ball by the 
side of the other dancers, he went at once to the laurels, and said: 

“ My lovely rose laurel, with the golden rake I have raked 

[ 323 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

thee, with the golden bucket I have watered thee, with the 
silken towel I have dried thee. Dress me like a prince/’ 

A beautiful pink flower appeared. Michael gathered it, and 
found himself in a moment clothed in velvet, which was as 
black as the eyes of the little princess, with a cap to match, 
a diamond aigrette, and a blossom of the rose laurel in his 
button-hole. 

Thus dressed, he presented himself that evening before the 
Duke of Beloeil, and obtained leave to try and discover his 
daughter’s secret. He looked so distinguished that hardly any 
one would have known who he was. 

The twelve princesses went up-stairs to bed. Michael fol¬ 
lowed them, and waited behind the open door till they gave 
the signal for departure. 

This time he did not cross in Lina’s boat. He gave his 
arm to the eldest sister, danced with each in turn, and was so 
graceful that every one was delighted with him. At last the 
time came for him to dance with the little princess. She found 
him the best partner in the world, but he did not dare to speak 
a single word to her. 

When he was taking her back to her place she said to him 
in a mocking voice: 

“ Here you are at the summit of your wishes: you are being 
treated like a prince.” 

“ Don’t be afraid,” replied the Star Gazer gently. “You shall 
never be a gardener’s wife.” 

The little princess stared at him with a frightened face, 
and he left her without waiting for an answer. 

When the satin slippers were worn through, the fiddles 
stopped, and the negro boys set the table. Michael was placed 
next to the eldest sister, and opposite to the youngest. 

They gave him the most exquisite dishes to eat, and the 
most delicate wines to drink; and in order to turn his head 
more completely, compliments and flattery were heaped on 
him from every side. 

But he took care not to be intoxicated, either by the wine or 
the compliments. 

[324] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

At last the eldest sister made a sign, and one of the black 
pages brought in a large golden cup. 

“ The enchanted castle has no more secrets for you,” she 
said to the Star Gazer. “ Let us drink to your triumph.” 

He cast a lingering glance at the little princess, and with¬ 
out hesitation lifted the cup. 

“ Don’t drink! ” suddenly cried out the little princess; “ I 
would rather marry a gardener.” 

And she burst into tears. 

Michael flung the contents of the cup behind him, sprang 
over the table, and fell at Lina’s feet. The rest of the princes 
fell likewise at the knees of the princesses, each of whom chose 
a husband and raised him to her side. The charm was broken. 

The twelve couples embarked in the boats, which crossed 
back many times in order to carry over the other princes. 
Then they all went through the three woods, and when they 
had passed the door of the underground passage a great noise 
was heard, as if the enchanted castle were crumbling to the 
earth. 

They went straight to the room of the Duke of Beloeil, who 
had just awaked. Michael held in his hand the golden cup, 
and he revealed the secret of the holes in the shoes. 

“ Choose, then,” said the duke, “ whichever you prefer.” 

“ My choice is already made,” replied the garden boy, and he 
offered his hand to the youngest princess, who blushed and 
lowered her eyes. 

The Princess Lina did not become a gardener’s wife; on 
the contrary, it was the Star Gazer who became a prince; 
but before the marriage ceremony the princess insisted that 
her lover should tell her how he came to discover the secret. 

So he showed her the two laurels which had helped him, 
and she, like a prudent girl, thinking they gave him too much 
advantage over his wife, cut them off at the root and threw 
them in the fire. 


[325] 


The Herd-Boy 


r HERE was once a poor herd-boy, who had neither 
kith nor kin except his stepmother, who was a wicked 
woman, and hardly allowed him food or clothing. 
Thus the poor boy suffered great privation; during all the 
livelong day he had to tend cattle, and scarcely ever got more 
than a morsel of bread morning and evening. 

One day his stepmother had gone out without leaving him 
any food; he had, therefore, to drive his cattle to the field 
fasting, and being very hungry, he wept bitterly. But at the 
approach of noon he dried his tears, and went up on a green 
hill, where he was in the habit of resting, while the sun was 
hot in the summer. On this hill it was always cool and dewy 
under the shady trees; but now he remarked that there was 
no dew, that the ground was dry, and the grass trampled 
down. This seemed to him very singular, and he wondered 
who could have trodden down the green grass. While thus 
sitting and thinking, he perceived something that lay glitter¬ 
ing in the sunshine. Springing up to see what it might be, 
he found it was a pair of very, very small shoes of the whitest 
and clearest glass. The boy now felt quite happy again, forgot 
his hunger, and amused himself the whole day with the little 
glass shoes. 

In the evening when the sun had sunk behind the forest, 
the herd-boy called his cattle and drove them to the village. 
When he had gone some way, he was met by a very little 
boy, who in a friendly tone greeted him with “ Good even¬ 
ing! ” “ Good evening again,” answered the herd-boy. 

“ Hast thou found my shoes, which I lost this morning in the 
green grass ? ” asked the little boy. The herd-boy answered: 

[326] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Yes, I have found them, but, my good little fellow, let me 
keep them. I intended to give them to my stepmother, and 
then, perhaps, I should have got a little meat when I came 
home.” But the boy prayed so earnestly, “ Give me back my 
shoes; another time I will be as kind to thee,” that the 
herd-boy returned him the shoes. The little one then, greatly 
delighted, gave him a friendly nod, and went springing 
away. 

The herd-boy now collected his cattle together, and con¬ 
tinued his way homeward. When he reached his dwelling it 
was already dark, and his stepmother chided him for return¬ 
ing so late. “ There’s still some porridge in the pot,” said 
she; “ eat now, and pack thyself off to bed, so that thou canst 
get up in the morning betimes, like other folks.” The poor 
herd-boy durst not return any answer to these hard words, 
but ate, and then slunk to bed in the hayloft, where he was 
accustomed to sleep. The whole night he dreamed of nothing 
but the little boy and his little glass shoes. 

Early in the morning, before the sun shone from the east, 
the boy was waked by his stepmother’s voice: “Up with 
thee, thou sluggard! It is broad day, and the animals are not 
to stand hungry for thy sloth.” He instantly rose, got a bit 
of bread, and drove the cattle to the pasture. 

When he came to the green hill, which was wont to be so 
cool and shady, he again wondered to see that the dew was 
all swept from the grass, and the ground dry, even more so 
than on the preceding day. While he thus sat thinking, he 
observed something lying in the grass and glittering in the 
bright sunshine. Springing toward it, he found it was a very, 
very tiny red cap set round with small golden bells. At this 
he was greatly delighted, forgot his hunger, and amused him¬ 
self all day with the elegant little cap. 

In the evening, when the sun had sunk behind the forest, 
the herd-boy gathered his cattle together and drove them 
toward the village. When on his way, he was met by a very 
little and, at the same time, very fair damsel. She greeted 
him in a friendly tone with “ Good evening! ” “ Good even- 

[327] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

ing again,” answered the lad. The damsel then said, “ Hast 
thou found my cap, which I lost this morning in the green 
grass?” The boy answered: “ Yes, I have found it: but let 
me keep it, my pretty maid. I thought of giving it to my 
wicked stepmother, and then, perhaps, I shall get a little 
meat when I go home.” But the little damsel entreated so 
urgently, “ Give me back my cap; another time I will be as 
good to thee,” that the lad gave her the little cap, when she 
appeared highly delighted, gave him a friendly nod, and 
sprang off. 

On his return home he was received as usual by his cruel 
stepmother, and dreamed the whole night of the little damsel 
and her pretty red cap. 

In the morning he was turned out fasting, and on coming 
to the hill, found it was drier than on either of the preceding 
days, and that the grass was trodden down in large rings. 
It then entered his mind all that he had heard of the little 
elves, how in the summer nights they were wont to dance in 
the dewy grass, and he fancied that these must be elfin-rings, 
for elfin-dances. While sitting absorbed in thought, he chanced 
to strike his foot against a little bell that lay in the grass, and 
it gave forth so sweet a sound that all the cattle came running 
together, and stood still to listen. Now the boy was delighted, 
and could do nothing but play with the little bell, till he forgot 
his troubles and the cattle forgot to graze. And so the day 
passed much more quickly than can be imagined. 

When it drew toward evening, and the sun was level with 
the tree-tops, the boy called his cattle and prepared to return 
home. But let him entice and call them as he might, they 
were not to be drawn from the pasture, for it was a delightful 
grassy spot. Then thought the boy to himself, “ Perhaps 
they will pay more heed to the little bell.” So drawing forth 
the bell, he tingled it as he went along the way. In one mo¬ 
ment the bell-cow came running after him, and was followed 
by the rest of the herd. At this the boy was overjoyed, for he 
was well aware what an advantage the little bell would be to 
him. As he was going on, a very little old man met him, and 

[328] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

kindly bade him a good evening. “ Good evening again,” 
said the boy. The old man asked, “ Hast thou found my little 
bell, which I lost this morning in the green grass? ” The herd- 
boy answered, “ Yes, I have found it.” The old man said, 
“ Then give it me back.” “ No,” answered the boy, “ I am 
not so doltish as you may think. The day before yesterday I 
found two small glass shoes, which a little boy wheedled from 
me. Yesterday I found a cap, which I gave to a little damsel; 
and now you come to take from me the little bell, which is so 
good for calling the cattle. Other finders get a reward for 
their pains, but I get nothing.” The little man then used 
many fair words, with the view of recovering his bell, but all 
to no purpose. At last he said: “ Give me back the little 
bell, and I will give thee another, with which thou mayest call 
thy cattle; thou shalt, moreover, obtain three wishes.” These 
seemed to the boy no unfavorable terms, and he at once 
agreed to them, adding: “As I may wish whatever I will, I 
will wish to be a king, and I will wish to have a great palace, 
and also a very beautiful queen.” “ Thou hast wished no tri¬ 
fling wishes,” said the old man, “ but bear well in mind what I 
now tell thee. To-night when all are sleeping, thou shalt go 
hence, till thou comest to a royal palace, which lies due north. 
Take this pipe of bone. If thou fallest into trouble, blow it; 
if thou afterward fallest into great trouble, blow it again; but 
if, on a third occasion, thou findest thyself in still greater 
peril, break the pipe in two, and I will help thee, as I have 
promised.” The boy gave the old man many thanks for his 
gifts, and the elf-king—for it was he—went his way. But the 
boy bent his steps homeward, rejoicing, as he went along, that 
he should so soon escape from tending cattle for his wicked 
stepmother. 

When he reached the village it was already dark, and his 
stepmother had been long awaiting his coming. She was in 
a great rage, so that the poor lad got blows instead of food. 
“ This will not last long,” thought the boy, comforting himself 
with the reflection, as he went up to his hayloft, where he 
laid himself down and slumbered for a short time. About 

[329] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

midnight, long before the cock crew, he arose, slipped out of 
the house, and began his journey in a northward direction, as 
the old man had enjoined. He traveled incessantly, over hill 
and dale, and twice did the sun rise and twice set, while he 
was still on his way. 

Toward evening on the third day he came to a royal palace, 
which was so spacious that he thought he should never again 
see the like. He went to the kitchen and asked for employ¬ 
ment. “What dost thou know, and what canst thou do?” 
inquired the master-cook. “ I can tend cattle in the pasture,” 
answered the boy. The master-cook said: “The king is in 
great want of a herd-boy; but it will, no doubt, be with thee 
as with the others, that every day thou losest one of the herd.” 
The boy answered: “Hitherto I have never lost any beast 
that I drove to the field.” He was then taken into the king’s 
service, and tended the king’s cattle; but the wolf never got a 
beast from him, so he was well esteemed by all the king’s 
servants. 

One evening, as the herd-boy was driving his cattle home, 
he observed a beautiful young damsel standing at a window 
and listening to his song. Though he seemed hardly to 
notice her, he, nevertheless, felt a glow suffused over him. 
Some time passed in this manner, the herd-boy being delighted 
every time he saw the young maiden; though he was still 
ignorant that she was the king’s daughter. It happened one 
day that the young girl came to him as he was driving the 
herd to their pasture. She had with her a little snow-white 
lamb, and begged him in a friendly tone to take charge of her 
lamb, and protect it from the wolves in the forest. At this 
the herd-boy was so confused that he could neither answer 
nor speak. But he took the lamb with him, and found his 
greatest pleasure in guarding it, and the animal attached 
itself to him, as a dog to its master. From that day the herd- 
boy frequently enjoyed the sight of the fair princess. In the 
morning, when he drove his cattle to the pasture, she would 
stand at the window listening to his song; but in the evening, 
when he returned from the forest, she would descend to 

[330] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

caress her little lamb, and say a few friendly words to the 
herd-boy. 

Time rolled on. The herd-boy had grown up into a comely, 
vigorous young man; and the princess had sprung up and 
was become the fairest maiden that could be found far or 
near. Nevertheless, she came every evening, according to 
her early custom, to caress her lamb. But one day the prin¬ 
cess was missing and could nowhere be found. This event 
caused a great sorrow and commotion in the royal court, for 
the princess was beloved by every one; but the king and 
queen, as was natural, grieved the most intensely of all. The 
king sent forth a proclamation over the whole land, that who¬ 
soever should recover his daughter should be rewarded with 
her hand and half the kingdom. This brought a number of 
princes, and knights, and warriors from the east and the 
west. Cased in steel they rode forth with arms and attend¬ 
ants, to seek the lost princess; but few were they that returned 
from their wanderings, and those that did return brought no 
tidings of her they went in quest of. The king and queen 
were now inconsolable, and thought that they had sustained 
an irreparable loss. The herd-boy, as before, drove his 
cattle to the pasture, but it was in sadness, for the king’s 
fair daughter engrossed his thoughts every day and every 
hour. 

One night in a dream the little elfin king seemed to stand 
before him and to say: “To the north! to the north! there 
thou wilt find thy queen. ,, At this the young man was so 
overjoyed that he sprang up, and as he woke, there stood the 
little man, who nodded to him, and repeated: “ To the north! 
to the north! ” He then vanished, leaving the youth in doubt 
whether or not it were an illusion. As soon as it was day 
he went to the hall of the palace, and requested an audience 
of the king. At this all the royal servants wondered, and the 
master-cook said: “ Thou hast served for so many years that 
thou mayest, no doubt, get thy wages increased without 
speaking to the king himself.” But the young man persisted 
in his request, and let it be understood that he had something 

[331] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

very different in his mind. On entering the royal apartment, 
the king demanded his errand, when the young man said: 
“ I have served you faithfully for many years, and now desire 
permission to go and seek for the princess.” Hereupon the 
king grew angry and said: “ How canst thou, a herd-boy, 
think of doing that which no warrior nor prince has been able 
to accomplish?” But the youth answered boldly, that he 
would either discover the princess or, for her sake, lay down 
his life. The king then let his anger pass, and called to mind 
the old proverb: A heart worthy of scarlet often lies under a 
coarse woolen cloak . He therefore gave orders that the herd- 
boy should be equipped with a charger and all things requisite. 
But the youth said: “ I reck not of riding; give me but your 
word and permission, together with means sufficient.” The 
king then wished him success in his enterprise; but all the 
boys and other servants in the court laughed at the herd-boy’s 
rash undertaking. 

The young man journeyed toward the north, as he had been 
instructed by the elf-king, and proceeded on and on until he 
could not be far distant from the world’s end. When he had 
thus traveled over mountains and desolate ways, he came at 
length to a great lake, in the midst of which there was a fair 
island, and on the island a royal palace, much more spacious 
than the one whence he came. He went down to the water’s 
edge, and surveyed the palace on every side. While thus 
viewing it, he perceived a damsel with golden locks standing 
at one of the windows, and making signs with a silken band, 
such as the princess’ lamb was accustomed to wear. At this 
sight the young man’s heart leaped in his breast; for it rushed 
into his mind that the damsel could be no other than the 
princess herself. He now began to consider how he should 
cross over the water to the great palace; but could hit upon 
no plan. At last the thought occurred to him that he would 
make a trial whether the little elves would afford him some 
assistance; and he took forth his pipe and blew a long-con¬ 
tinued strain. He had scarcely ceased when he heard a 
voice behind him, saying “ Good evening.” “ Good evening 

[332] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

again,” answered the youth, turning about: when just before 
him there stood the little boy whose glass shoes he had found 
in the grass. “ What dost thou wish of me?” asked the elfin 
boy. The other answered: “ I wish thee to convey me across 
the water to the royal palace.” The boy replied, “ Place 
thyself on my back.” The youth did so; and at the same 
instant the boy changed his form and became an im¬ 
mensely huge hawk, that darted through the air, and stopped 
not until it reached the island as the young man had re¬ 
quested. 

He now went up to the hall of the palace and asked for 
employment. “ What dost thou understand and what canst 
thou do ? ” inquired the master-cook. “ I can take charge of 
cattle,” answered the youth. The master-cook then said: 
‘‘The giant is just now in great want of a herdsman; but it 
will, I dare say, be with thee as with the others; for if a beast 
by chance is lost, thy life is forfeited.” The youth answered: 
“ This seems to me a hard condition; but I will, nevertheless, 
agree to it.” The master-cook then accepted his service, and 
he was to commence on the following day. 

The young man now drove the giant’s cattle, and sung his 
song, and rang his little bell, as he had formerly done; and 
the princess sat at her window, and listened, and made signs 
to him that he should not appear to notice her. In the even¬ 
ing he drove the herd from the forest, and was met by the 
giant, who said to him, “ Thy life is in the place of any one 
that may be missing.” But not a beast was wanting, let the 
giant count them as he would. Now the giant was quite 
friendly, and said, “ Thou shalt be my herdsman all thy 
days.” He then went down to the lake, loosed his enchanted 
ship, and rode thrice round the island, as he was wont to do. 

During the giant’s absence the princess stationed herself at 
the window and sang: 

“ To-night, to-night, thou herdsman bold, 

A-sleeping will be the giant old, 

And comest thou hither to liberate me, 

My crown I will gladly bestow upon thee.” 

[ 333 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The young man listened to her song, and understood from 
it that he was to go in the night and deliver the princess. He 
therefore went away without appearing to notice anything. 
But when it was late, and all were sunk in deep sleep, he 
stealthily approached the tower, placed himself below the win¬ 
dow, and sang: 

“ Oh, princess, here is thy herdsman true, 

Beseeching that thou wilt thy vows renew; 

That thou wilt descend from thy tow’r so high, 

And fall to these arms, like a star from the sky." 

The princess whispered: “I am bound with chains of 
gold, come and break them.” The young man now knew no 
other course than again to blow with his pipe a very long- 
continued strain; when instantly he heard a voice behind him 
saying, “ Good evening,” “ Good evening again,” answered 
the youth, looking round; when there stood the little elf-king, 
from whom he had got the little bell and the pipe. “ What wilt 
thou with me?” inquired the old man. The young man an¬ 
swered: “ I beseech you to convey me and the princess hence.” 
The little man said, “ Follow me.” They then ascended to the 
maiden’s tower; the castle gate opened spontaneously, and 
when the old man touched the chain it burst in fragments. 
All three then went down to the margin of the lake, when the 
elf-king sang: 

* Oh, pike so faithful, oh, pike so true, 

Swim over to me thro’ the waters blue; 

A princess fair on thy back shall ride 

And a king of the future shall sit by her side." 

At the same moment appeared the little damsel, whose cap 
the herd-boy had found in the grass. She sprang down to 
the lake, and was instantly changed into a large pike that 
sported about in the water. Then said the elf-king: “Sit ye 
on the back of the pike. But the princess must not be terri¬ 
fied, let what may happen; for then will my power be at an 
end.” Having so said, the old man vanished; but the youth 

[334] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and the fair princess followed his injunctions, and the pike 
bore them rapidly along through the billows. 

While all this was taking place, the giant awoke, looked 
through the window, and perceived the herd-boy floating on 
the water together with the young princess. Instantly snatch¬ 
ing up his eagle-plumage, he flew after them. When the pike 
heard the clapping of the giant’s wings, it dived far down 
under the surface of the water, whereat the princess was so 
terrified that she uttered a scream. Then was the elf-king’s 
power at an end, and the giant seized the two fugitives in his 
talons. On his return to the island he caused the young 
herdsman to be cast into a dark dungeon, full fifteen fathoms 
underground; but the princess was placed in her tower, and 
strictly watched, lest she should again attempt to escape. 

The youth now lay in the captive’s tower, and was in deep 
affliction at finding himself unable to deliver the princess, 
and, at the same time, having most probably forfeited his own 
life. The words of the elfin-king now occurred to his memory: 
“ If, on a third occasion, thou findest thyself in great peril, 
break the pipe in two, and I will help thee.” As a last 
resource, therefore, he drew forth the little pipe and broke 
it in two. At the same moment he heard behind him the 
words, “ Good evening.” “ Good evening again,” answered 
the youth; and when he looked round there stood the little 
old man close by him, who asked, “ What wilt thou with 
me?” The young man answered: “I wish to deliver the 
princess, and to convey her home to her father.” The old 
man then led him through many locked doors and many 
splendid apartments till they came to a spacious hall, filled 
with all kinds of weapons, swords, spears, and axes, of which 
some shone like polished steel, others like burnished gold. 
The old man kindled a fire on the hearth, and said, “ Un¬ 
dress thyself! ” The young man did so, and the little man 
burnt his old garments. He then went to a large iron chest, 
out of which he took a costly suit of armor, resplendent with 
the purest gold. “Dress thyself,” said he; the young man 
did so. When he was thus armed from head to foot, the old 

[335] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

man bound a sharp sword by his side, and said: “ It is de¬ 
creed that the giant shall fall by this sword, and this armor no 
steel can penetrate.” The young herdsman felt quite at ease 
in the golden armor, and moved as gracefully as if he had been 
a prince of the highest degree. They then returned to the 
dark dungeon; the youth thanked the elf-king for his timely 
succor, and they parted from each other. 

Till a late hour there was a great bustle and hurrying in 
the whole palace; for the giant was on that day to celebrate 
his marriage with the beautiful princess, and had invited many 
of his kin to the feast. The princess was clad in the most 
sumptuous manner, and decorated with a crown and rings 
of gold, and other costly ornaments, which had been worn 
by the giant’s mother. The health of the wedded pair was then 
drunk amid all kinds of rejoicing; and there was no lack of 
good cheer, both of meat and drink. But the bride wept with¬ 
out intermission, and her tears were so hot that they felt 
like fire on her cheeks. 

When night approached, and the giant was about to con¬ 
duct his bride to the nuptial chamber, he sent his pages to 
fetch the young herdsman, who lay in the dungeon. But 
when they entered the prison, the captive had disappeared, 
and in his stead there stood a bold warrior, with sword in 
hand, and completely armed. At this apparition the young 
men were frightened and fled; but were followed by the herds¬ 
man, who thus ascended to the court of the palace where the 
guests were assembled to witness his death. When the giant 
cast his eyes on the 'doughty warrior, he was exasperated, and 
exclaimed: “ Out upon thee, thou base troll! ” As he spoke 
his eyes became so piercing that they saw through the young 
herdsman’s armor; but the fearless youth said: “Here shalt 
thou strive with me for thy fair bride.” The giant was not 
inclined to stay, and was about to withdraw; but the herds¬ 
man drew his sword, which blazed like a flame of fire. When 
the giant recognized the sword, under which he was doomed 
to fall, he was terror-struck and sank on the earth; but the 
young herdsman advanced boldly, swung round his sword, 

[336] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

and struck a blow so powerful that the giant’s head was 
separated from his body. 

On witnessing this exploit, the wedding guests were over¬ 
come with fear, and departed, each to his home; but the 
princess ran forth and thanked the brave herdsman for having 
saved her. They then proceeded to the water, loosed the 
giant’s enchanted ship, and rowed away from the island. On 
their arrival at the king’s court, there was great joy that the 
king had recovered his daughter for whom he had mourned 
so long. There was afterward a sumptuous wedding, and the 
young herdsman obtained the king’s fair daughter. They 
lived happily for very many years, and had many beautiful 
children. 


[337] 


Fulfilled 

^\NE Christmas Eve two poor travelers came to a farm- 
t J house and begged a night’s lodging. Nay, said the peo- 
v-X pie of the house, they had no room for travelers and 
beggars! So the wayfarers went on their way until they came 
to a cottage where lived a poor farm-laborer and his wife. 
They knocked at the door and asked if they might stay the 
night there. Yes, was the reply, they might stay, and welcome, 
if they would put up with such as was there, for they were 
only very humble folk. The strangers thanked them very 
warmly, and entered the house. They had not been there long 
when the wife Whispered to her husband: 

“ We must see if we cannot find something nice for our 
guests, on the eve of such a holy festival. We must kill our 
little kid.” 

“ Yes, let us do that,” said the man. 

So they killed the kid, and roasted it for supper, and they 
ate and were glad of heart that holy eve. 

When bedtime came, they gave their guests their own bed, 
which was the only one they had, and then they spread some 
straw upon the floor and slept there. 

Next morning they all went to church together, and the 
cottagers begged the travelers to stay with them the two 
feast-days, “ for, now there is that good meat,” said they, 
“ you must help us to eat it.” 

The strangers agreed to do this, and stayed with them both 
Christmas Day and the day following. 

On the morning of the third day, when they were to leave, 
the travelers thanked the cottagers for their hospitality. They 
were very sorry, they said, that they had nothing to give them 
in payment. 


[338] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Oh, that does not signify in the least! ” said both the man 
and his wife; they had not taken them in for the sake of any 
reward. 

Just as they were going out of the door, however, one of 
the strangers said: 

“ But has the kid no horns ? ” 

“ Oh, yes,” replied the man, “ but they are worth nothing.” 

He thought perhaps the strangers had some use for horns, 
and would have begged for them. 

“ How many horns has the kid? ” asked the traveler again. 

“ Two,” answered the man, much surprised at the question. 

“Well, then, you may have two wishes,” said the visitor; 
“ choose for yourselves.” 

But the man said they wished for nothing save their daily 
bread, a peaceful life in this world, and heaven when they 
' died. 

“ God grant it! ” said the strangers; “ we will come again 
in a year’s time.” And they went their way. 

From that day forward everything thrived and prospered in 
the most marvelous manner with the cottagers. Their only 
cow presented them with three fine calves, their two sheep had 
eight lambs, their sow so many little pigs that they could 
hardly count them, and everything that had been sown, or 
that they now sowed in their little bit of land, brought forth a 
hundredfold. Thus they became quite well-to-do, and they 
set to work building and adding to their house, making it much 
larger and lighter. 

Meanwhile they looked forward with gladness to Christmas¬ 
time, when the two strangers should come again, for they knew 
very well they had to thank them for all this prosperity. Their 
neighbors and the village-folk marveled greatly at all the good 
things that kept streaming in upon them; and the people at 
the farm close by, where the two travelers had been refused 
admittance, wondered most of all. When they heard, what 
the poor cottagers themselves made no secret of, that all this 
prosperity was owing to the good offices of the two way¬ 
farers who had been their guests last Christmas, they were 

[339] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

bitterly angry, and considered it had been as good as stolen 
from them, for they might have had the wishes if they had 
taken the travelers in. When these same neighbors heard that 
the strangers had promised to come again at Christmas, they 
begged and entreated the good-natured cottagers to promise 
them that when the travelers arrived they would send them 
on to the farm. 

On Christmas Eve, at twilight, the same two travelers came 
and knocked at the cottage door. Both the man and his wife 
ran out to meet them and thank them for all the prosperity 
that had accrued to them from their visit. The strangers then 
asked if they could stay the night there, and spend Christmas 
with them. Yes, said the man and his wife, nothing would 
have pleased them so well, but they had promised the people 
at the farm close by that they would send them over to them 
when they came. They were so vexed at having sent them 
away last year, and were anxious now to make up for it. 

“ As you will,” answered the strangers; “ we will go over 
there this evening, but early in the morning we will return 
and go to church with you.” 

So they went to the farm. 

A boy had been stationed at the door to keep a lookout 
for them, and he at once ran in and announced their com¬ 
ing. Both the farmer and his wife rushed out to meet their 
prospective guests, and with many apologies for having sent 
them away last year, led them into their best parlor. The far¬ 
mer had killed a fat ox, and his wife had roasted it for them; 
so there was soup and roast meat, and cake and good ale, 
and old mead and wine into the bargain. They had a room 
to themselves in the upper story, with two large beds in it, 
with feather mattresses and pillows. 

Next morning the strangers were up early, and the farmer 
and his wife begged them to stay at least over Christmas; but 
the wayfarers said they must be leaving, as they intended go¬ 
ing to church and afterward continuing their journey. The 
farmer thereupon harnessed his horses to his best carriage. 
“ They must not walk there, they should drive/’ he said. 

[ 340 ] 




MAGIC CASEMENTS 

They thanked him courteously, and, before leaving, one 
said to his host and hostess that they did not know what return 
they could make to them for their hospitality, for they had no 
money. “ But wait,” he added, “ had the ox any horns ? ” 

“ Yes, indeed, sure enough it had,” answered the farmer. 
Having heard from the cottagers of the talk there had been 
last year about the kid’s horns, he understood at once what 
his guest alluded to. 

“ How many horns has it ? ” asked the stranger. 

The wife, pulling her husband by the sleeve, whispered, 
“ Say four.” 

So the man answered that the ox had four horns. 

“ Ah! ” said the stranger, “ then you can have four wishes, 
two for each of you.” 

And they got into the carriage and drove to the church 
where the cottagers were awaiting them. 

The farmer had himself driven them, and he made all pos¬ 
sible haste to get back home again, when, he told himself, he 
and his wife would settle about their four wishes. He was 
just thinking of this when one of the animals stumbled and 
broke a trace. The farmer on this was obliged to get down 
and mend it. Then he drove on, but it was not long before 
the other horse stumbled. 

“ Ah ! the wicked elves take you both! ” he cried, and hardly 
had he said this before both the animals vanished, and there 
he sat in the carriage, with the reins in his hands, but nothing 
to drive. So he had to leave the vehicle standing there, and 
continue his journey on foot. Here was one of his wishes 
fulfilled. But he did not trouble himself much about that 
when he remembered that he and his wife still had three more. 
He could easily get as many horses as he wanted, together with 
many other good things. So he trudged quite contentedly 
along the high road. 

Meantime his wife was at home, waiting and waiting and 
longing for her husband to come that they might begin to 
wish. She went outside and looked up the road, but he was 
not in sight. 


[341] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS , 

“ If he were only here, the lazy bones! ” she exclaimed, and 
as she spoke there he stood. 

“ Ah! ” she cried, “ now I have wasted one of my wishes! 
But how is it you come trudging along like any vagabond? 
What have you done with the carriage and horses ? ” 

“ I wished the wicked elves might take my best horses, and 
they have taken them. You have only yourself to thank. 
There is no luck in such cheating. It was you who said the ox 
had four horns. I only wish two of them were sticking out 
of your own head. ,, And no sooner had he said so than there 
they were. 

Three out of their four wishes had now been fulfilled, and 
the only one left belonged to the woman. 

“ Dear little wife,” said her husband coaxingly, “ now make 
a good use of your wish and ask for a heap of money, that 
all may yet be well.” 

“ No, thank you,” retorted the woman, “ and I going about 
with a pair of horns until the day of my death! ” 

Determined not to do that at any cost, she straightway 
wished the wicked elves might take the horns, and in an in¬ 
stant they vanished. 

Thus the farmer and his wife were no richer for all their 
wishes, but rather the poorer by a pair of horses and an ox. 


[ 342] 



7 he Golden Bough 

J 

/ N one portion of Fairyland there lived a powerful king, 
not very much beloved by his subjects because he was 
exceedingly high and mighty. His will was law and his 
commands had to be obeyed at once. It was the same in his 
family as in his kingdom, he ruled all with a strong hand. 
This king in appearance was rough and rugged, and his face 
was of a dark color, so that he was known far and wide as 
the Brown King. • • 

In the family of the king was one son, but unfortunately he 
was frightfully deformed in person and his features were 
really ugly. The boy was kept within the palace as closely as 
possible until he grew up, but when he became a man he 
wanted his liberty, and the king desired him to choose a maiden 
who one day would be queen. But alas! none would give heed 
to him as he was so unattractive. The king, however, thought 
more about his own interests than anything else, so he had cast 
his eyes on the daughter of a powerful king, who was also 
very rich, as a suitable wife for his son. 

Their countries joined, and their two kingdoms would, if 
united by such a union, become the strongest in the world. 
He thought that she was the most proper person for his son, 
because she could not reproach him for his deformity, as she 
was quite as deformed as he was; she was a cripple and could 
not stand on the ground without help. In fact, nothing could 
be more dreadful as to her person. But her mind was as 
lovely as her face and shape were otherwise; and it seemed 
as if Nature intended in this way to make amends for her de¬ 
formity. 

The Brown King having got the Princess Trognon’s picture 

[343] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

(this was her name), set it up in the great hall of his palace 
under a canopy of state, and sent for the Prince Torticoli, 
whom he commanded to look upon it and study it well, for 
that was the portrait of Trognon who was to be his wife. 

Torticoli cast his eyes upon it, but soon turned them aside 
with great contempt, which made his father very angry. 

“ Are you not satisfied with it?” said the king in a grave 
tone. 

“ No, my lord,” said the prince, “ I could never be satisfied 
to marry a creature like that.” 

“ It is not right,” replied the king, “ to find fault with this 
princess, as you are yourself so deformed as to frighten people 
who look at you.” 

“ For that very reason,” said the prince, “ I would not look 
upon any one so deformed and ugly. I can hardly endure 
myself as it is, what should I do with such a companion ? ” 

The king replied with severity: “Your fears are to no pur¬ 
pose; this is the person I have chosen for you. Tis enough, I 
command it.” 

Torticoli made no reply, but, bowing to the ground, with¬ 
drew. 

The Brown King had not been used to meet with the slight¬ 
est opposition to his wishes, so that his son’s refusal threw him 
into a terrible passion. He ordered him to be imprisoned in 
the tower built on purpose for disobedient people, but there had 
not been any one in it for two hundred years, so that everything 
was out of repair. The furniture was very old and of such 
a queer shape and of such an odd make that people looked 
upon it as a curiosity. 

The'prince was very fond of reading; he asked for some 
books, but was only permitted the use of the library belonging 
to the tower. He was much disappointed with this, for he 
found that the books were very old, and written in a language 
he did not understand. However, he looked them over in 
hopes of finding some words whose meaning he might pick 
out and so learn the language. 

The Brown King, thinking that his son Torticoli would soon 

[344] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

be tired of his prison, went on with the arrangement with Tro- 
gnon as if he had consented. He sent ambassadors to the king 
his neighbor, asking for his daughter, promising the princess 
all that her heart could wish. Trognon’s father was delighted 
with the thought of such an alliance, and glad that he could 
so easily get rid of such a deformed daughter. He at once ac¬ 
cepted the Brown King’s terms, and placed Prince Torticoli’s 
portrait, which the ambassadors brought with them, in a long 
gallery, where Trognon saw it by her father’s command. 

When she looked upon it she started, and then held down 
her head and burst into tears. Her father was much displeased 
at this, and sent at once for a looking-glass, and bade her see 
herself, after which surely she would find no reason to weep. 

“ But I do not desire the prince, my lord,” said she; “ if I 
did I should be very wrong to refuse, but I shall be better able 
to bear my misfortune if I am allowed to suffer alone. I would 
not let another person have the trouble of seeing me day 
after day. I am content as I am, and shall be so if I am 
never forced to change my position or place. I shall not com¬ 
plain.” 

This all seemed reasonable, but the king was not to be 
moved, and ordered her to prepare for her departure with the 
ambassadors, who came to demand her. 

So when all was ready she traveled in a litter as close as she 
could, so that no one should see her; and we must now leave 
her on the road, to see what the prince was doing in the tower. 
His guards were not allowed to speak to him; and that he 
might be the more willing to consent to his father’s wishes, the 
king commanded that he should be served with bad food, and 
in other ways treated unkindly. 

The Brown King knew how to make people obey him, if not 
from love, by fear, but the prince was so well beloved by all 
those about him that they did not always follow the instruc¬ 
tions of their ruler. 

As he was one day walking in the gallery of the tower, very 
sad and melancholy, thinking over his misfortune in being so 
deformed and ugly, and also in being expected to unite himself 

[345] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

with a princess in a worse condition than himself, he cast his 
eyes upon the windows, where he saw several pictures so well 
painted, in colors so bright, and designs so well carried out, 
that he looked upon them with great delight, but he could not 
understand the meaning of these designs, which were taken 
from history, and had to do with matters that were several 
hundred years old. What impressed him most was the picture 
of a man so like himself that one would have thought it was 
his own portrait. 

This man was shown to be in the turret of the tower, search¬ 
ing in the wall, where he found a golden key, with which he 
opened a cabinet. There were several other figures he was 
pleased with, and on most of the windows he found his own 
picture. “ How does it happen,” said he to himself, “ that I 
am painted here so many years before I was born? and how 
unfortunate that the painter should have in his mind such a 
person as I am.” He saw also the picture of a beautiful lady, 
whose features were so regular and her person so lovely that 
he could never tire of looking at it. There were also many 
objects of various kinds all so well shown that he was sure 
the painter must have been a very clever man. ’ 

He continued in this gallery until it was quite dark, so that 
he could no longer see the pictures, or distinguish one from 
the other. When he returned to his bed-chamber he happened 
to pick up an old manuscript written upon vellum, with leaves 
painted around the edges, and a cover of blue and gold. On 
looking at it more closely he was surprised to see the same 
things as he had seen on the windows, but though he tried to 
read it, he could not. At last he turned over a leaf where mu¬ 
sicians were shown, hearing music the while; and then turned 
over another leaf where a number of people were playing cards 
and dice. On still another leaf there was shown a wedding 
party with ladies richly dressed, all wonderfully beautiful. On 
turning the next leaf he smelled the odors of a rich feast. The 
figures were all eating, and they were all about nine inches in 
height. One of them turned to the prince and cried out, 
“ Here’s your health, Prince Torticoli. Restore to us our 

[ 346 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

queen, and it will be well with you; if you do not, trouble will 
come to you.” 

At these words the prince, who began to be afraid, let the 
book drop out of his hand, and fell down like a dead man. His 
guards hearing a noise, ran in, loving him as they did; and 
all that could be done was done to recover him from his fit. 
When he was able to speak, they asked him what was the mat¬ 
ter. He replied, that he felt so ill he had not strength to sup¬ 
port himself, and having looked through that book, he fancied 
he had seen and heard queer things, so that he felt very much 
afraid. His guards were much troubled at this, and in spite 
of the king’s orders gave him plenty of food to eat. When he 
had refreshed himself he took up the book again, and not find¬ 
ing what he had seen before, he came to the conclusion that he 
had been dreaming. 

The next day he went again to the gallery, and looking at 
the pictures a second time, saw them move, walk, hunt, fish, 
and build, as if they had been alive. The images were all 
small, and his own portrait was everywhere among them with 
the same kind of clothes that he was then wearing. He went 
up into the tower fort, and found there the golden key. Hav¬ 
ing made a very good meal that day, he did not think he was 
out of his mind. “ This is too mysterious a business,” thought 
he, “ for me to neglect finding out what it all means. Perhaps 
I shall discover something in the fort.” So thither he went. 
Knocking against the wall, he thought it sounded hollow; so 
he took a hammer and beat the stones out of the wall, where 
he found a very nicely made key, but did not know where or 
how he could use it. At last he saw an old cupboard in a 
corner of the fort; it was made of common wood, and looked 
very much out of repair. He wished to open it, but could not 
find the lock, though he examined it very closely. At last he 
saw a small hole, and thinking that perhaps the key might be 
of some use, put it in and turned it with all his strength, thus 
opening the cupboard, which he found fine and wonderful in¬ 
side, all the drawers being crystal and amber, inlaid with pre¬ 
cious stones. When one of them was drawn out he found 

[ 347] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

smaller ones on both sides, as well as on the top and at the 
bottom, separated from each other by mother-of-pearl. He 
drew out the first, and the others afterward; and found each 
of them full of arms, rich crowns, and beautiful portraits. 
Torticoli was charmed at the sight, so that by degrees he pulled 
out all the drawers. In the end he found a small key made of 
a single emerald, with which he opened a golden shutter that 
was at the bottom of a drawer, and to his great surprise he 
found a carbuncle, of which a large box was made. He took 
it out of the shutter, and to his great astonishment when he 
opened it found it contained a man’s hand holding a picture 
case. 

Prince Torticoli felt very much frightened, his hair stood on 
end, and his legs trembled so that he was obliged to sit down 
on the ground, holding the box in his hand. 

He remembered what the little image in the book had said 
to him—if he behaved well all would be right for him. So, 
acting like a man of courage, he spoke to the hand: “ Tell me, 
unfortunate hand, if thou canst, what sad adventure has be¬ 
fallen thee, and say if it is in my power to help thee in any 
way; if so, you may depend upon me to do all I am able.” 

At these words the hand moved, and made such signs with 
its fingers that Torticoli was able to understand what it meant 
quite as plainly as though it had spoken. The hand, as it were, 
said: “ Know, then, that it is in your power to oblige Beauty 
in the highest degree, from whom I am separated by the cru¬ 
elty of a jealous rival. Go at once into the gallery and look 
where the sunbeams shine; seek there and you will find my 
treasure.” Then the hand ceased moving and making signs. 

The prince asked several questions, but it made no reply. 
“Where shall I put you?” said Torticoli. 

To this question the hand made new signs, by which the 
prince understood that he must replace it in the cupboard 
where he found it; this he at once did, putting everything in 
the same order, and placing the key in the same wall from 
whence he took it. He now went directly to the gallery, and 
on his arrival the windows began to clatter and shake. He ex- 

[348] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

amined the place to find where the sun shone the brightest, and 
saw it was upon the picture of a youth, so beautiful and of 
such a noble presence that he was delighted. He lifted up the 
picture and came to an ebony board with gold borders. He 
did not know how to move it, or whether he should do so if he 
could. He looked at the windows, and as he was looking, the 
board lifted itself up, and behind it he saw an ante-chamber in 
which were statues. He went into it, up some stairs which had 
golden banisters, and came into a hall decorated with precious 
stones; he passed through this and entered several fine apart¬ 
ments, in which were charming pictures and rich furniture, 
until he came at last to a small chamber. Here he saw a lady 
of great beauty sleeping on a couch, round which were curtains 
of blue gauze. The prince walked softly for fear of waking 
her. He heard her say something as she slept, which he found 
to be a complaint of being ill-used. “ Dost thou think, traitor,” 
said she, “ that I can love thee after thou has taken away my 
dear Trasimenes? Ah, my dear one, shall I never see thee any 
more ? ” The prince saw tears forcing their way from under 
her closed eyelids and trickle down her cheeks. He stood im¬ 
movable, and did not know whether he ought to wake her or 
leave her. He thought that Trasimenes was her lover, and 
that it might be his hand that he had found in the box. While 
he was thus thinking, he heard the sweetest music that ever a 
man heard; it was from a cluster of nightingales and other 
birds, all in perfect harmony. In a few moments he saw a 
large eagle enter, flying softly along, holding in its beak a 
Golden Bough laden with rubies, like cherries. The bird fixed 
his eyes upon the lady. He fanned her with his wings, and 
hovered over her for a few moments, and then, turning to the 
prince, he put the Golden Bough in his hand. Upon this, the 
birds that had been singing so sweetly gave a cry which made 
the whole palace ring. The prince thought by this that the lady 
was enchanted, and that the work of freeing her was to be 
his. He approached, bent one knee to the ground, and smote 
her gently with the Golden Bough, saying, “ Lovely creature, 
whom I find sleeping by some magical power that I do not 

[349] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

know, I conjure you in the name of Trasimenes to resume your 
proper form and position.’' 

The lady opened her eyes and saw the eagle; then began to 
weep, saying, “ Stay, my dear lover, stay! ” but the great bird 
gave a dreadful cry and flew away, taking all the musical birds 
with him. 

The lady then turned to Torticoli and said: “ I owe to you 
everything, for you have released me from a sleep in which I 
have lain for more than two hundred years. A magician who 
loved me was the cause of all my misery. You have broken 
the spell, and if it is in my power to return your kindness by 
doing you a service, I shall be only too glad to do it. I am a 
mistress of all the arts of the fairies, and can make you as 
happy as you may desire to be.” 

“ Madam,” replied the prince, throwing himself at her feet, 
“ you see how deformed I am, and what a frightful figure I 
appear; I am called Torticoli, which means derision; change 
my appearance, so that I may not look so dreadful for the 
future.” 

The fairy touched him with the Golden Bough, saying, 
“ Rise the most accomplished and the most well-favored man 
in the world! No one before you, nor after, shall ever be 
equal to you. Your name for the future shall be Nonesuch, 
for none ever deserved it more than you.” 

The grateful prince overwhelmed her with thanks, and 
could not find words sufficiently to express his gratitude. 

The fairy commanded him to rise, and as he did so, he saw 
himself in the glasses which adorned her chamber; but Torti¬ 
coli was lost in Nonesuch. He was three feet higher, his hair 
hung in long curls on his shoulders, his movements became 
graceful, his features completely changed; in a word, he was a 
different person altogether. 

“ I am sorry I cannot tell you what may happen to you,” 
said the fairy. “ Go, prince, fly from this tower, and always re¬ 
member Benigna, who has done this for you, and who will ever 
be your friend.” 

At these words the palace and windows which the prince 

[350] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

had seen suddenly disappeared, and he found himself in the 
middle of a wild forest, more than three hundred miles from the 
tower in which the Brown King had confined him. 

We must now leave him to see what became of the guards 
that were set to watch him, and of the Princess Trognon. The 
soldiers, wondering very much that their beloved prince did not 
call for his supper, entered his chamber, and not finding him, 
searched every corner of the tower, but all to no purpose. 
They almost died with fear of the anger of the Brown King, 
when he should know that his son had escaped, so they con¬ 
sulted together how they might deceive him. They resolved 
that one of their comrades should take his place, and go to 
bed, as though he were ill, not able to see any one. Afterward 
they intended to give out that he was dead, and by burying a 
great fagot instead of his Highness, impose upon the king, 
who, if he were to discover the truth, would put every man to 
death. So they began to arrange matters. They chose the 
smallest soldier in the guards, made up on him a hump back, 
and laid him on the bed like a sick person; the king was told 
that his son was ill. The king thought very little of this, and 
said that perhaps the illness would bring him to his senses, so 
he did not relax any of his orders, but was as severe as ever. 
No matter how much the guards begged for him, the king took 
no notice of his son’s danger. 

As to the Princess Trognon, she arrived in her small couch, 
about two feet high, which was placed in a litter. The Brown 
King went to meet her. When he found she was so deformed 
a creature, a cripple with skin which scaled like a fish, a nose 
broad and flat, a mouth reaching from ear to ear, he could not 
help saying: “Princess Trognon, you were very civil to de¬ 
spise my son; he is not good looking, it is true, but is not so 
frightful a person as yourself.” “ My lord,” said she, “ I can¬ 
not help the unkind things you say about me, thinking, perhaps, 
I may be led to love your son, the charming Torticoli, but I 
will never marry him, as I shall always value the title of Prin¬ 
cess Trognon much more than that of Queen Torticoli.” 

The Brown King was very angry indeed at these words, and 

[351] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

said: “ I shall keep my word with my son and your father. 
When you were at home he was your master; now you are 
here, I am become so.” 

She replied: “ I did not come of my own accord, and shall 
always look upon you as my worst enemy if you try to use any 
power over me.” 

The king at this left her, more enraged than ever. He gave 
her an apartment in the palace and directed ladies to wait upon 
her, telling them to do all they could to induce her to change 
her mind and consent to do as he wished, as it would be in 
every way the best for her. 

All this time the guards were afraid that their trick would 
be found out if they did not complete their plans, so they gave 
out that the prince was dead. 

He was much grieved at the news, and wept bitterly. He 
said the death of his son was due to the Princess Trognon’s re¬ 
fusal, and her treatment. He therefore commanded her to 
be shut up in the same tower where the prince had been con¬ 
fined. 

The princess was much troubled at finding herself so sud¬ 
denly made prisoner, and put into such a horrible and dismal 
place. She pleaded hard, but all to no purpose; the king’s 
orders must be carried out. She then tried to get a letter taken 
to her father, asking him to come to help her, but no one would 
do anything for her. All her letters were given to the Brown 
King, and as she did not know of this, she kept on hoping 
from day to day. She made haste every morning into the gal¬ 
lery to look upon the pictures in the windows, and was very 
pleased indeed with those she saw there. Among others she 
found one with her own picture, showing her features and de¬ 
formity, and wondered how her likeness could have been 
placed there. One picture pleased her very much: this was a 
shepherd of great charm and beauty, the sight of his freedom 
contrasting so greatly with her own condition that she wept 
bitterly for some little time. 

On raising her head, to her great surprise she saw behind 
her a little old hag who was very much more deformed even 

[ 352 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

than she was herself. The old hag said to her: “ Choose which 
you will, virtue or beauty; your sorrow seems so great that I 
feel for you. If you will be handsome you must be proud and 
stiff, and hated by many. If you remain as you are, you shall 
be wise, modest, and loved by everybody.” 

Trognon looked upon the witch that spoke to her and asked 
her if beauty and virtue could not go together. 

" No,” said the witch; “ but as I desire to help you, you 
shall have the one or the other, but not both of them.” 

“If this be true,” cried Trognon; “ then I prefer my ugliness 
to beauty.” 

“ How is this ? ” replied the witch; “ would you rather 
frighten than charm all who see you ? ” 

“Yes, madam,” said the princess; “I would rather be the 
most miserable creature upon earth than not have virtue and 
goodness.” 

“ I have brought you my yellow and white muff on purpose,” 
said the witch; “ blow on the yellow side of it and you shall 
become like that lovely shepherdess with whose picture you 
were so pleased, and be beloved by the shepherd who appeared 
so kingly and graceful. Blow on the white side, and you shall 
find yourself firmly fixed in the paths of virtue and goodness, 
in which you have so determined to walk.” 

“ Let it be so, madam,” said the princess; “ I shall then be 
comforted amidst all the unkindness and rudeness I am likely 
to meet with, because I am so deformed.” 

Then the old witch gave her the magic muff of virtue and 
beauty. Trognon accepted it, blew on the white side, and 
thanked the witch, who immediately disappeared. 

The princess was much rejoiced by the happy choice she had 
made, for in thinking it all over she received much comfort and 
peace. She felt that oftentimes beauty vanishes like a dream, 
but virtue and goodness are everlasting treasures and are of 
the real beauty which lasts longer than life itself. Meantime 
she hoped that her father would soon come with his soldiers to 
[free her from her imprisonment. 

She waited for his coming and longed to go up into the fort 

[353] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

of the tower to see if there were any signs; but she could not 
crawl up so high, so she crept into her chamber like a tortoise, 
or shall we say a snail ? and asked her women to carry her up. 
When they had done so, she looked out of the window which 
faced the part of the country through which her father must 
come, if he came at all. She could see nothing; but as she was 
leaning against the wall, it so happened that the stones which 
Prince Torticoli had taken out and badly replaced, fell down, 
and with them the golden key, which fell at the princess’s feet. 
She naturally took it up and examined it, wondering what it 
was there for. She thought a few moments and fancied that 
it might open the cupboard, but alas! she could not see a lock, 
but at last found the hole into which she put the key and the 
door flew open. What she saw amazed her. There were up¬ 
ward of four thousand drawers full of rare curiosities; there 
was the shutter, the box with the hand in it, and many other 
wonders. She trembled all over, not knowing what to do. 
She said, “ I must go, for it seems like death to stay here with 
this poor hand.” But suddenly she heard a voice saying, 
“ Take heart, princess; your happiness depends upon what you 
may do.” 

“ Alas ! ” replied the princess, “ what can I do ? ” 

The voice said: “ Carry this hand with you into your cham¬ 
ber, hide it under your pillow, and when you see an eagle, give 
it to him at once.” 

Although the princess was a little frightened she noticed the 
softness of the voice that spoke and did not hesitate in obeying, 
first replacing the drawers in order as she had found them. 
Her guards were afraid that she would escape as the prince 
had done, so they soon rushed into her chamber to find her, 
and were much surprised to discover her in a place which they 
thought she could never have reached except by some magic 
power that they knew nothing of. 

It was three days before Trognon saw anything; but the 
third night she heard a noise against her window, drew the 
curtain, and by the light of the moon saw an eagle hovering 
round the window; she got up as well as she was able and 

[ 354 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

crawling along the chamber, opened the casement. The eagle 
entered and flapped his wings with a great noise as a sign of 
joy. She gave him the hand at once; he took it with his claws, 
and immediately disappeared; but in his place there appeared a 
handsome youth with a crown upon his head holding a picture 
in his hand and dressed in a robe covered with diamonds. He 
spoke to her first, saying: “ Princess, nearly two hundred years 
ago a wicked magician placed me here. He and I both loved 
the fairy Princess Benigna; I was beloved, and he became jeal¬ 
ous ; his arts were greater than mine, so he resolved to ruin 
me, and forbade me to see her any more. I paid no heed to his 
order, and the fairy herself was so angry at his conduct that 
she forbade him ever to come near her again, therefore the 
magician vowed that he would be revenged on us both. One 
day I was with the fairy looking at her portrait which she had 
just given me, when he came upon us suddenly, and at one 
blow struck off my hand with his sword. The fairy seeing 
what he had done fell down in a swoon, and at that instant I 
was changed into an eagle. I was, however, allowed to see 
her every day without approaching her, and often heard her 
sigh and talk of me in her sleep. I knew that after two hun¬ 
dred years a certain prince was to restore Benigna to life, and 
that a certain princess would give me my former shape again 
by delivering to me my hand; and this kind fairy who is anx¬ 
ious for your happiness and glory has so ordered it. It was 
she who so carefully locked up my hand in the cupboard in the 
fort; it was she who gave me the power to pay my acknowledg¬ 
ments to you. Ask what you will, my princess, and whatever 
you wish you shall have. ,, 

“ Great king/’ replied the princess, standing motionless, “ I 
have been so little used to such surprising sights that I can 
scarcely tell whether I am awake or asleep. ,, 

“ Indeed, madam,” said Trasimenes, “ you are not dream¬ 
ing; you shall really have your wish as soon as you let me 
know what it is.” 

“ If I should ask for all I want, I am sure you could not pos¬ 
sibly satisfy me; but I will ask for what I desire most, and that 

[ 355 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

is—Let my soul be as lovely as my body is ugly and de¬ 
formed.” 

“ Ah, princess,” replied Trasimenes, “ you charm me with the 
wisdom of your choice. In recompense for your virtue, your 
body shall become as lovely as your soul.” 

He then touched her with the fairy’s picture, and a wonder¬ 
ful change took place—she was at once tall, straight, fair, and 
possessed a complexion whiter than milk. Her features be¬ 
came regular, her whole manner majestic and modest, delicate 
and agreeable. She was amazed, and cried out, “ Is it myself ? 
Is it possible?” 

“Yes, madam,” said Trasimenes, “it is yourself; the wise 
choice you have made of goodness and virtue has brought 
about this great change in your person, and I am overjoyed at 
being able to assist in bringing it about. Leave forever the 
name of Trognon and take that of Brilliant, which you richly 
deserve for the brightness of your graces and charms.” He 
said this and at once vanished from sight, and the princess 
found herself under the shade of a covert of trees by the side of 
a little river in one of the most pleasant spots in the universe. 
She had as yet not seen herself since the great change in her 
person. The first time she beheld her charms was in the water 
of the river which was beautifully clear, and it was with won¬ 
der that she saw the marvelous change that had been wrought, 
and that she resembled the shepherdess whose picture she had 
so often admired in the gallery. Like the picture, she was 
'dressed in a white gown trimmed with fine lace, the prettiest 
that ever was made; round her waist was a girdle of roses and 
jasmine; her hair was twined with flowers, a gilded crook lay 
by her side, and a flock of sheep grazed on the river’s bank. A 
dog attended them, and both sheep and dog seemed to know 
her voice as that of their mistress. 

She sat and thought about herself. She had been born, and 
lived, as the most deformed of human creatures, but she was 
a princess; now she was as bright as the morning star, but no 
more than a shepherdess, and in thinking thus she could not 
but be sensible of the loss of her rank and position. 

[356] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

After thinking thus she at length fell asleep. She had had 
very little rest all night, for though she had no knowledge of 
the matter she had traveled many, many miles, which had tired 
her. Her dog and sheep gathered round her, and watched her 
as she should have watched them. The sun, when it rose, 
could not hurt her, as the shade kept its piercing rays from her 
beauties, and the green grass on which she reclined seemed 
proud of the beautiful burden it bore. 

The birds sang a tuneful melody and the breezes played with 
her garments, but soon the feathered choir ceased, and the 
breezes stayed fanning the air for fear the beloved should 
wake. A shepherd, seeking shelter from the heat of the sun, 
noticed the place where she lay and drew near; but when he 
saw the young shepherdess. Brilliant, he was astonished. In¬ 
deed, he saw that it was the very same person whose beauty 
had so charmed him with her picture in the windows of the 
gallery and the wonderful vellum book, for the shepherd was 
none other than Prince Nonesuch. An unknown power had 
kept him in this country, where he was admired and loved by 
all who saw him. His manner, his air, and his wit distin¬ 
guished him as much among the shepherds as his birth would 
have done elsewhere. He looked on Brilliant with great pleas¬ 
ure and admiration, and knelt down by her side, but while he 
was thus engaged she awoke, and seeing him near her in shep¬ 
herd’s dress remembered that she had seen his picture in the 
tower. 

“ Lovely shepherdess,” said Nonesuch, “ what happy fortune 
brought you here? I feel already that no one will be more 
ready to pay homage to you than myself.” 

“ Shepherd,” replied the princess, “ I do not require homage 
that is not my due; my only desire is to remain a simple shep¬ 
herdess with my flock and my dog, breathing that solitude in 
which I delight more than all other enjoyments.” 

“ How is it, fair shepherdess,” said the prince, “ that you 
come here to hide yourself from all mortals ? Is it possible that 
you mean ill to us ? At least let me be excepted, since I am the 
first who has offered service to you.” 

[357] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ I thank you very much for your kind offer,’’ said the prin¬ 
cess. “ I beg you to lead me to the house of some kind shep¬ 
herdess with whom I may spend my days in retirement and 
peace, for being a stranger to this land, I should be glad of 
a dwelling-place.” 

Nonesuch at once conducted her to a cottage so neat that 
nothing could be more pleasant. In it there lived a little old 
woman, who very seldom went out, being so old that she could 
hardly walk. 

“ Here,” said Nonesuch, presenting Brilliant, “ here is a 
damsel, whose looks are enough to make you feel young 
again.” 

The old woman embraced her, and bade her welcome, say¬ 
ing she was sorry she had no better lodging for her, but she 
would make it up by friendship and love. 

To this Brilliant replied: “ I did not think to find so much 
kindness here; I assure you, mother, I am very glad indeed 
that I have met with you, and that I shall have the pleasure 
of your company. Pray tell me your name,” said she, address¬ 
ing the shepherd, “ that I may know to whom I am indebted 
for this kindness in leading me hither.” 

“ I am called Nonesuch,” replied the prince, “ by my com¬ 
panions.” 

The old woman, turning to the shepherdess, asked what her 
name was, and she replied, “ Brilliant.” 

This name pleased the old woman exceedingly and, thinking 
the pretty creature must be hungry, she presented her with some 
brown bread and cream in a clean earthen dish, some new-laid 
eggs, new butter and cheese. 

Nonesuch ran to his hut and brought her some nuts, cherries, 
and other fruits, also a few fine flowers. He asked leave to 
dine with her and she could not well refuse his request, so they 
all had a very pleasant time. 

When they parted she thought often of him and he of her. 
He visited her every day and drove her flock to the same 
pasture where his own grazed. He sang songs, played his 
flute, and tuned his pipe so as to tempt her to dance, which 

[358] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

she did with so much grace that he could not but admire 
her. 

Both of them thought often of all the adventures they had 
gone through. Nonesuch was always seeking her so soon as 
he missed her, but she generally did her best to avoid him. 

She was angry with herself for loving Nonesuch. “ What,” 
said she, “ not only have I the misfortune to love, but to love 
a wretched shepherd? I have preferred virtue to beauty. 
Heaven, to revvard my choice, has made me beautiful; and yet 
how miserable I feel. If it were not for this beauty the shep¬ 
herd from whom I fly would not take such pains to please me, 
and I should then have no need to be ashamed of the tenderness 
I feel for him.” Yet she gave him all the trouble she could, so 
that he gave himself up to sorrow and despair. 

He wished very much to let Brilliant know the dignity of his 
birth; but then he thought she might not believe him, and if 
she were to ask a proof of what he said, he felt he had none 
to give. 

“ How unfortunate I am,” said he to himself; “ although I 
used to be deformed and frightful in appearance, I was heir 
to a crown and a kingdom, which sometimes hides all defects; 
but now I cannot show myself to my father or his subjects, for 
neither of them would know or own me, and all the good fairy 
Benigna has done for me in taking away my name and de¬ 
formity is to make a shepherd of me and to bring me in con¬ 
nection with a shepherdess who cannot endure me and who 
shuns me at every turn. Oh, that the powers would be kinder 
to me or else make me as deformed and ill-looking as I was 
before.” 

Such were the thoughts of these two, which they kept to 
themselves; and so it continued for some time. 

It happened one day that Brilliant was hurrying away so 
that the shepherd should not speak to her, when Nonesuch 
thought of a plan which he at once carried out. He took a 
little lamb, dressed it up with flowers and placed a collar round 
its neck. He then put on a rose-colored coat covered with 

[ 359 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

lace; he adorned his crook with ribbons and placed a silken 
scrip at his side and started forth. He found Brilliant sitting 
on a bank by the river, which ran through the thickest part of 
the wood. Her sheep were feeding round her and she herself 
seemed to be deeply thinking. He approached very quietly, 
presented the little lamb to her and looked at her. 

“ What have I done to you, fair shepherdess, that you should 
always run away when I approach you? Are not my actions 
and words full of respect and warmth ? Alas! it must be true 
that you love elsewhere and that you think always of your 
absent one.” 

“ It is not so,” cried Brilliant, “ but Heaven decrees that we 
should part.” 

Having said this, away she ran. The prince followed, but 
grief overcame him and he stumbled and fell against a tree. 
Brilliant could not help turning to see if he followed her. She 
saw him fall down, and her heart was sad indeed. 

When she escaped from the wood she lifted up her eyes and 
cried out: “ O Virtue! O Glory! O Greatness! O Destiny! 
I sacrifice my quiet to you. O Trasimenes! I renounce my 
fatal beauty. Let me be as ugly and deformed as ever.” 

Having thus cried out against her ill-fortune, she wondered 
whether she ought to go back and help Nonesuch or fly farther 
from him. Love would have had her return to him, but her 
other thoughts triumphed, and she resolved never to see him 
any more. 

Since she had come into this country she had heard of a 
famous magician who lived in a castle which he had built on 
the borders of an island, where he resided with his sister. 
Nothing was so much talked about as their great skill. They 
did miracles every day. 

Brilliant thought that she should never be able to forget her 
dear shepherd without the help of some magic power, and 
without saying a word to the kind old woman with whom she 
lived, and who loved her as though she were her own daughter, 
so full of trouble was she that she started at once to go to the 
castle. She stopped neither night nor day, she neither ate nor 

[360] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

drank, so eager was she to get to the place and be cured of her 
tenderness. 

At last she found the magician’s castle and entered it with¬ 
out any trouble. She crossed several courts, where the grass 
was so high, and where there were so many thorns and briers 
that she scratched her hands in several places in making her 
way through them. The first room she came to was a hall, 
into which the light only came through a small hole. It was 
hung with bats’ wings instead of tapestry. Twelve cats were 
tied up with their heads downward from the ceiling, and kept 
up such a growling that it was hardly bearable. Twelve mice 
were fastened to a long table by their tails, each of them with 
a piece of cheese before it, but at such a distance that they 
could not reach it. Thus the cats saw the mice, and the mice 
the cheese, without being able to touch what they wanted, 
although they were almost starving. 

The princess was thinking of the dreadful fate of these ani¬ 
mals when the magician came to her dressed in a long black 
robe; he had a crocodile on his head, which served him instead 
of a cap, and never man had such a head-dress before. 

In one hand he had a pair of spectacles; in the other a whip 
of twenty long snakes, all alive, and you can imagine how 
frightened the poor princess must have been at the magician’s 
dreadful appearance. She began to be sorry that she had lost 
her shepherd, her flock and her dog, and to think what she 
should do to escape this dreadful monster. 

She ran to the door, but felt herself entangled in a net of 
cobwebs, and as fast as she cleared herself of one, she was 
caught in another, and so on, till the number was very great. 
This made her exceedingly tired, she could not take the cob¬ 
webs off her head and arms, so she lay down on the ground to 
rest and she was scarcely down before she felt the thorns and 
briers pricking her. The magician seeing what trouble she was 
in, appeared much amused, for he laughed heartily. Presently 
he called to her and said, “ Thou wilt never be able to get free 
so long as thou livest; I have taken a great liking for thee; if 
thou wilt marry me I will give thee the twelve cats thou seest 

[ 361 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

hanging up there to do what thou wilt with them, as also the 
twelve mice. The cats are so many princes, and the mice so 
many princesses, who were all liked by me, yet none of them 
would love me. The princes were my rivals, and all of them 
much happier than I; so I tempted them to come hither, and I 
caught them in my snares and changed them into cats and mice. 
The truth now is that they hate one another as much as they 
before loved, and my revenge is complete.” 

“ Ah! my lord,” replied Brilliant, “ please turn me into a 
mouse. I deserve it quite as much as these poor princesses.” 

“ How now! ” quoth the magician. “ You silly little maid, 
will you not love me, then ? ” 

“ No,” said the princess, “ I have resolved never to love.” 

“ Have a care what thou sayest,” said the old fellow, “ for 
thou mayest bitterly repent it.” 

“ No matter about that,” replied the princess, “ such is my 
resolve.” 

“ Is that true ? ” said the magician. “ Thou shalt not be a 
mouse then, but because of the greenness of thy youth, and 
that thou art light and airy, thou shalt live in meadows as thou 
didst before, and be called Grasshopper.” He then touched 
her and she became the prettiest little grasshopper in the 
world; and enjoying her liberty, at once hopped into the 
garden. 

As soon as she was alone she burst into tears. “ Ah! ” said 
she, “ would I had remained a cripple and deformed. Ah! 
Trasimenes, where are thy fair promises now? What is be¬ 
come of the beauty which was so carefully kept for me above 
two hundred years ? It is more short-lived than the flowers of 
spring; what has it ended in? A green garment, a strange 
shape, neither fish, bones nor blood. Ah! woe is me. A 
crown would have hidden all my deformity, and if I had only 
remained a shepherdess I should at least have been happy. 
What am I now? A grasshopper made to chirp all day and 
night though my heart is breaking, and I could forever weep.” 
Thus spoke Grasshopper in her new form, frisking among the 
flowers and grass which grew on the river banks. 

[362] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

During all this time poor Nonesuch was lamenting the loss 
of his beloved shepherdess, for the way in which she had left 
him troubled him greatly, though he had not the strength to 
follow her. He fell into a dreamy state and remained insen¬ 
sible to everything, and was like one without life as he lay at 
the foot of the tree where Brilliant saw him fall. Here he re¬ 
mained for some time until the freshness of some unknown 
power restored him. He did not dare to go out the next day. 
He thought and thought, and hoped all things would turn out 
well, but his grief was very great when, going to see Brilliant 
at the hut of the old woman, he found she had not been at 
home since he last saw her. He wandered about the fields in 
search of her, going far and wide, but all to no purpose; he 
rested himself on the river bank, and thought he must really 
end his troubles with his life. While he was thus sitting he 
saw approaching a little old woman, dressed in a ruff, with a 
high-crowned hat on, looking very venerable. 

“ Son,” said she, “ I have heard your doleful complaints, 
please tell me what is the cause.” 

“ Ah! mother,” replied the prince, “ I mourn the loss of a 
lovely shepherdess who has quite disappeared, and I know not 
what has become of her; I can get no news of her from any 
one.” 

“ Go,” said she, “ to yonder castle, and I think you may be 
able to hear something of her.” 

It was of course the castle of the magician that the old 
woman meant, so Nonesuch thanked her and at once started 
on his journey. 

He met with no hindrance until he came to the wood; here 
he thought he saw his shepherdess, and ran after her crying 
out: “ Stop! Brilliant, stop! and hear what I have to say.” 

But the fairy flew away and he followed, and the chase was 
kept up the whole of the night. When it was dark, he saw the 
lights of the castle. He thought that perhaps she might be 
within, so he made greater haste, entered the courtyard, 
mounted the staircase, and in the grand hall saw an old witch, 
very lean and haggard; her eyes were dim, her arms like laths, 

[ 363 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

her fingers like bobbins and her skin was like black fish-skin. 
She was patched and painted, covered with green ribbons, with 
a brocaded gown, and a crown on her head which was covered 
over with diamonds. 

“ Prince/’ said she, “ you have come to a place where I have 
for a long time wished to see you. Think no more of your 
little shepherdess; you ought to remember your position. Now 
I am Queen of Meteors, I wish you well, and if you will only 
love me, I can do a great deal for you.” 

“Love you, madam?” replied the prince. “Is it in my 
power to love whom I please? No, I can never be unfaithful; 
and even if I could, it would not be in favor of your ladyship; 
it would be better for you to find some one among your own 
meteors; love the air, or the winds, but leave mankind in 
peace.” 

The fairy was very proud and angry; she struck her wand 
against the ground twice, and in an instant the hall was full of 
monsters, with whom the young prince was bidden to fight. 
Some of them seemed to have two heads, and several arms; 
they took all manner of shapes, such as lions with human faces, 
tigers, apes, and flying serpents. 

Nonesuch had nothing in his hand to defend himself with 
but his crook and a little spear, which he had thought might 
be of use during his journey. 

Before the monsters began the attack the fairy again asked 
him if he would love her. 

He replied: “ No, my heart and soul are devoted to my fair 
shepherdess.” 

The old hag thought of another device: she made Brilliant 
appear. “ See,” said she, “ there is thy fair shepherdess at the 
end of the gallery; if you still refuse she shall be torn to pieces 
by the tigers before thy face.” 

“ Ah! madam,” cried the prince, throwing himself at her 
feet, “ whatever you do, spare her life; take mine, if you will, 
but do no harm to her.” 

“ I do not want thy life,” said she; “ it is thy love I desire.” 

While they were thus talking, the prince thought he heard 

[364] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

his dear shepherdess’s voice saying in a mournful tone: “ Will 
you, then, let me be devoured? If you love me, do what the 
queen desires.” 

The poor prince knew not what to do in the midst of his 
troubles. 

He called out: “ O Benigna, have you forsaken me ? Come 
and help me in my distress.” 

Having said this he heard a voice in the air, which said dis¬ 
tinctly : 

“ Destiny will work its way, 

All things must its laws obey; 

Prince, be faithful to thy vow, 

Love, and seek the Golden Bough.” 

The old fairy, who quite believed she would be victorious 
by means of so many helpers, was very angry to find herself 
checked by a superior power. 

The protection of the fairy Benigna was a hindrance in her 
way, and she could not remove it. 

“ Benigna,” said she, “ begone from my sight. Unhappy 
prince, thou shalt henceforth be a cricket and be always fond 
of heat and fire.” 

In an instant the beautiful and graceful Prince Nonesuch 
became a little black cricket, who would have burned himself 
in the first fire he came to had he not remembered the friendly 
voice which he had heard in the air. 

“ Let us search for the Golden Bough,” said he; “ perhaps 
it will un-cricket me; and if I find my dear shepherdess here, 
how happy shall I be.” 

The Cricket now made his way as fast as he could out of 
the fatal palace; he did not know where to go, so recommended 
himself to the cave of the beautiful fairy Benigna. He de¬ 
parted without noise, for your cricket fears neither robbers nor 
ill adventures on the road. His first resting-place was in a 
hollow tree, where he found a grasshopper very melancholy; 
not a chirp could be got out of her. 

The Cricket did not dream who the Grasshopper was, and 

[365] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

said to her, not expecting an answer, “ Where are you going, 
comrade Grasshopper ? ” 

The Cricket was much surprised to hear her reply. 

“ How is this ? Can you speak ? ” said he. 

“ And can you ? ” said the Grasshopper. “ Why should we 
not, as well as you crickets ? ” 

“ I may talk,” said the Cricket, “ because I am a man.” 

“ And by the same rule,” said Grasshopper, “ I may also 
speak, for I am a maiden—but where are you going ? I should 
be glad, if it is the same way, to go with you.” 

“ I have just heard a voice in the air saying: 

* Be thou faithful to thy vow, 

Go, and seek the Golden Bough.’ 

I suppose it was meant for me, so I set out to seek it, although 
I do not know in what direction.” 

At this point they saw two mice running up to them as fast 
as they could go. They leaped into the hole of the tree and 
almost stifled the two comrades, Cricket and Grasshopper, who 
both crept as well as they could into a corner. 

“ Friend Mouse, I have a pain in my side with running so 
fast; how is your Royal Highness?” 

“ I have lost part of my tail,” replied the smaller Mouse; “ I 
was obliged to leave it, or I should have been still fastened to 
the magician’s table, but how happy I am that I have escaped 
from his dreadful palace! I am a little afraid of cats and traps, 
however.” 

“ I hope the good fairies will save you from them,” said the 
larger Mouse. “ I shall long heartily to arrive at the Golden 
Bough.” 

“ Do you know the way, then ? ” said her Mousical Highness. 

“ As well as I do to my own house,” said the other. “ It 
is a wonderful bough; one of its leaves is enough to 
make a person rich for life; it helps »people to money ; s it un¬ 
charms them; it makes them handsome, and keeps them always 
young.” 


[ 366 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The Grasshopper, seeing how matters stood, spoke to their 
Highnesses. 

“ Here is a poor honest Cricket and myself; we shall be very 
proud of your company, ladies, for we, as well as you, are 
seeking the Golden Bough.” 

Upon this many kind and gracious things were said, for the 
mice were princesses that had made their escape from the 
magician’s table to which they were fastened, and as to the 
Cricket and Grasshopper, we already know who they were. 

They were all awake early the next morning, and set out 
very quietly, being afraid any one should hear them chirp or 
talk, for if caught they would have been snapped up and put 
in a cage. So hopping and springing along they came to the 
place where grew the Golden Bough. It was planted in the 
middle of a garden full of wonders. Instead of gravel the 
paths were made of pearls as big as peas; the roses were all 
diamonds, and the leaves emeralds; the blossoms of the pome¬ 
granates were various jewels; the marigolds topazes, the vio¬ 
lets sapphires, the tulips amethysts and opals; in fact, the bril¬ 
liancy of these fairy flowers was such that they outshone the 
sun itself. 

It was here that the Golden Bough grew, the same that 
Prince Nonesuch received from the Eagle, with which he had 
touched the fairy Benigna and disenchanted her. 

It had grown as high as the tallest tree, and was laden with 
rubies in the shape of cherries. As soon as the Cricket and the 
Grasshopper and the two Mice approached it they received 
their natural shapes. Oh, joy! Oh, transport, which cannot 
be written! The prince, when he saw the fair shepherdess, 
threw himself at her feet, and was about to say how delighted 
he was, when Queen Benigna and King Trasimenes appeared 
in great pomp and with a great number of attendants; four 
cupids, with their bows at their sides and their quivers on their 
shoulders, held a small canopy of gold and blue brocade over 
the king and queen, and two graces marched on each side with 
two crowns in their hands. 

“ Come hither, ye amiable lovers,” said the queen, extending 

[367] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

her hands; “ receive from me the crown of goodness which 
your birth and worth so well deserve. Your sufferings now 
shall change to pleasures.” 

“ Princess Brilliant/’ said she, “ this shepherd whom you 
have so often run away from is the same prince that your 
father and his father desired you to accept, for he did not die 
in the tower; take him and leave the care of your peace and 
happiness to me.” The princess, overjoyed at this wonderful 
news, threw herself about Benigna’s neck, and showed by the 
tears which ran down her cheeks how deeply she felt. None¬ 
such, bending one knee to the ground, kissed the good fairy’s 
hands, and said with great emotion many things, hardly know¬ 
ing how to express his gratitude. 

Trasimenes tried to help him as much as he could, and Be- 
nigna in a few words told them that it was she herself who had 
proposed to Trognon to blow on the yellow and white muff; 
that she had also taken the shape of the old shepherd woman 
to entertain the princess at her hut, and that she had showed 
the prince where the shepherdess had gone. 

“ Indeed,” said she, “ you have both suffered a great deal, 
and I would have prevented it had it been in my power; but 
the pleasures of love must be sometimes bought, and the joy 
that follows makes up for all the sorrow, causing the joy to be 
all the greater.” 

Then was heard on every side strains of the sweetest music. 
The cupids crowned the two young lovers, and the occasion 
was celebrated with the great magnificence that became the 
Court of Benigna. 

The two princesses, who had accompanied them in the shape 
of mice, begged the good fairy to deliver the unhappy cats and 
mice also from the magician’s power. 

“ This is too happy a day,” Benigna replied, “ to deny you 
anything,” and saying this, she struck the Golden Bough three 
times, upon which all those who had been confined by the ma¬ 
gician’s power appeared in their proper forms. The fairy fur¬ 
ther divided the treasures of the fort in the tower among them, 
a present in those days worth as much as ten kingdoms. 

[368] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Benigna and Trasimenes crowned their generosity by saying 
that the palace, the garden, and the Golden Bough should for 
the future belong to King Nonesuch and Queen Brilliant. A 
hundred other kings were to be his subjects and a hundred 
kingdoms were dependent upon that which the two good fairies 
bestowed on the two happy lovers, so that their future bade 
fair to be as joyful and bright as their past had been troubled 
and sorrowful. 


[369] 


The Nixy 

r HERE was once upon a time a miller who was very 
well off and had as much money and as many goods 
as he knew what to do with. But sorrow comes in 
the night, and the miller all of a sudden became so poor that 
at last he could hardly call the mill in which he sat his own. 
He wandered about all day full of despair and misery, and 
when he lay down at even he could get no rest, but lay awake 
all night sunk in sorrowful thoughts. 

One morning he rose up before dawn and went outside, for 
he thought his heart would be lighter in the open air. As he 
wandered up and down on the banks of the mill-pond he 
heard a rustling in the water, and when he looked near he 
saw T a white woman rising up from the waves. 

He realized at once that this could be none other than 
the nixy of the mill-pond, and in his terror he didn’t know 
whether he should fly away or remain where he was. While he 
hesitated the nixy spoke, called him by his name, and asked 
him why he was so sad. 

When the miller heard how friendly her tone was, he 
plucked up heart and told her how rich and prosperous he had 
been all his life up till now, when he didn’t know what he 
was to do for want and misery. 

Then the nixy spoke comforting words to him, and prom¬ 
ised that she would make him richer and more prosperous than 
he had ever been in his life before, if he would give her 
in return the youngest thing in his house. 

The miller thought she must mean one of his puppies or 
kittens, so promised the nixy at once what she asked and re¬ 
turned to his mill full of hope. On the threshold he was 

[370] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

greeted by a servant with the news that his wife had just 
given birth to a boy. 

The poor miller was much horrified by these tidings, and 
went in to his wife with a heavy heart to tell her and his 
relations of the fatal bargain he had just struck with the nixy. 
“ I would gladly give up all the good fortune she promised 
me,” he said, “ if I could only save my child.” But no one 
could think of any advice to give him, beyond taking care 
that the child never went near the mill-pond. 

So the boy throve and grew big, and in the mean time all 
prospered with the miller, and in a few years he was richer 
than he had ever been before. But all the same he did not 
enjoy his good fortune, for he could not forget his compact 
with the nixy, and he knew that sooner or later she would 
demand his fulfilment of it. But year after year went by, and 
the boy grew up and became a great hunter, and the lord 
of the land took him into his service, for he was as smart and 
bold a hunter as you would wish to see. In a short time he 
married a pretty young wife and lived with her in great peace 
and happiness. 

One day when he was out hunting a hare sprang up at 
his feet and ran for some way in front of him in the open 
field. The hunter pursued it hotly for some time and at 
last shot it dead. Then he proceeded to skin it, never no¬ 
ticing that he was close to the mill-pond, which from child¬ 
hood up he had been taught to avoid. He soon finished the 
skinning and went to the water to wash the blood ofif his hands. 
He had hardly dipped them in the pond when the nixy rose 
up in the pool, and seizing him in her wet arms she dragged 
him down with her under the waves. 

When the hunter did not come home in the evening his 
wife grew very anxious, and when his game-bag was found 
close to the mill-pond she guessed at once what had be¬ 
fallen him. She was nearly beside herself with grief, and 
roamed round and round the pond calling on her husband 
without ceasing. At last, worn out with sorrow and fatigue, 
she fell asleep and dreamed that she was wandering along a 

[371] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

flowery meadow, when she came to a hut where she found 
an old witch, who promised to restore her husband to her. 

When she awoke next morning she determined to set out 
and find the witch; so she wandered on for many a day, and 
at last she reached the flowery meadow and found the hut 
where the old witch lived. The poor wife told her all that 
had happened and how she had been told in a dream of the 
witch’s power to help her. 

The witch counseled her to go to the pond the first time 
there was a full moon, and to comb her black hair with a 
golden comb, and then to place the comb on the bank. The 
hunter’s wife gave the witch a handsome present, thanked her 
heartily, and returned home. 

Time dragged heavily till the time of the full moon, but 
it passed at last, and as soon as it rose the young wife went 
to the pond, combed her black hair with a golden comb, and 
when she had finished placed the comb on the bank; then she 
watched the water impatiently. Soon she heard a rushing 
sound, and a big wave rose suddenly and swept the comb off 
the bank, and a minute after the head of her husband rose 
from the pond and gazed sadly at her. But immediately an¬ 
other wave came, and the head sank back into the water with¬ 
out having said a word. The pond lay still and motionless, 
glittering in the moonshine, and the hunter’s wife was not a 
bit better off than she had been before. 

In despair she wandered about for days and nights, and 
at last, worn out by fatigue, she sank once more into a deep 
sleep and dreamed exactly the same dream about the old witch. 
So next morning she went again to the flowery meadow, 
sought the witch in her hut, and told her of her grief. The 
old woman counseled her to go to the mill-pond the next full 
moon and play upon a golden flute, and then to lay the flute 
on the bank. 

As soon as the next moon was full the hunter’s wife went 
to the mill-pond, played on a golden flute, and when she had 
finished placed it on the bank. Then a rushing sound was 
heard and a wave swept the flute off the bank, and soon the 

[3 72 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

head of the hunter appeared and rose up higher and higher 
till he was half out of the water. Then he gazed sadly at his 
wife and stretched out his arms toward her. But another 
rushing wave arose and dragged him under once more. The 
hunter’s wife, who had stood on the bank full of joy and hope, 
sank into despair when she saw her husband snatched away 
again before her eyes. 

But for her comfort she dreamed the same dream a third 
time, and betook herself once more to the old witch’s hut in 
the flowery meadow. This time the old woman told her to go 
the next full moon to the mill-pond and to spin there with a 
golden spinning-wheel, and then to leave the spinning-wheel 
on the bank. 

The hunter’s wife did as she was advised, and the first night 
the moon was full she sat and spun with a golden spinning- 
wheel, and then left the wheel on the bank. In a few min¬ 
utes a rushing sound was heard in the waters and a wave 
swept the spinning-wheel from the bank. Immediately the 
head of the hunter rose up from the pond, getting higher 
and higher each moment, till at length he stepped onto the 
bank and fell on his wife’s neck. 

But the waters of the pond rose up suddenly, overflowed the 
bank where the couple stood, and dragged them under the 
flood. In her despair the young wife called on the old witch 
to help her, and in a moment the hunter was turned into a 
frog and his wife into a toad. But they were not able to re¬ 
main together, for the water tore them apart, and when the 
flood was over they both resumed their own shapes again, but 
the hunter and the hunter’s wife found themselves each in a 
strange country, and neither knew what had become of the 
other. 

The hunter determined to become a shepherd, and his wife 
too became a shepherdess. So they herded their sheep for 
many years in solitude and sadness. 

Now, it happened once that the shepherd came to the coun¬ 
try where the shepherdess lived. The neighborhood pleased 
him, and he saw that the pasture was rich and suitable for 

[373] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

his flocks. So he brought his sheep there and herded them as 
before. The shepherd and shepherdess became great friends, 
but they did not recognize each other in the least. 

But one evening when the moon was full they sat together 
watching their flocks, and the shepherd played upon his flute. 
Then the shepherdess thought of that evening when she had 
sat at the full moon by the mill-pond and had played on the 
golden flute; the recollection was too much for her and she 
burst into tears. The shepherd asked her why she was cry¬ 
ing and left her no peace till she told him all her story. Then 
the scales fell from the shepherd’s eyes, and he recognized his 
wife and she him. So they returned joyfully to their own 
home and lived in peace and happiness ever after. 


[374] 


'The Enchanted Pig 


^^NCE upon a time there lived a king who had three daugh- 
f J ters. Now it happened that he had to go out to battle, 
so he called his daughters and said to them: 

“ My dear children, I am obliged to go to the wars. The 
enemy is approaching us with a large army. It is a great grief 
to me to leave you all. During my absence take care of your¬ 
selves and be good girls; behave well and look after everything 
in the house. You may walk in the garden, and you may go 
into all the rooms in the palace, except the room at the back in 
the right-hand corner; into that you must not enter, for harm 
would befall you.” 

“ You may keep your mind easy, father,” they replied. “ We 
have never been disobedient to you. Go in peace, and may 
Heaven give you a glorious victory! ” 

When everything was ready for his departure, the king gave 
them the keys of all the rooms and reminded them once more 
of what he had said. His daughters kissed his hands with tears 
in their eyes and wished him prosperity, and he gave the 
eldest the keys. 

Now when the girls found themselves alone they felt so sad 
and dull that they did not know what to do. So, to pass the 
time, they decided to work for part of the day, to read for part 
of the day, and to enjoy themselves in the garden for part of 
the day. As long as they did this all went well with them. 
But this happy state of things did not last long. Every day 
they grew more and more curious, and you will see what the 
end of that was. 

“ Sisters,” said the eldest princess, “ all day long we sew, 
spin, and read. We have been several days quite alone, and 

[375] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

there is no corner of the garden that we have not explored. We 
have been in all the rooms of our father’s palace, and have ad¬ 
mired the rich and beautiful furniture: why should not we go 
into the room that our father forbade us to enter ? ” 

* Sister,” said the youngest, “ I cannot think how you can 
tempt us to break our father’s command. When he told us not 
to go into that room he must have known what he was saying, 
and have had a good reason for saying it.” 

“ Surely the sky won’t fall about our heads if we do go in,” 
said the second princess. “ Dragons and such like monsters 
that would devour us will not be hidden in the room. And how 
will our father ever find out that we have gone in ? ” 

While they were speaking thus, encouraging each other, they 
had reached the room; the eldest fitted the key into the lock, 
and snap! the door stood open. 

The three girls entered, and what do you think they saw ? 

The room was quite empty, and without any ornament, but 
in the middle stood a large table, with a gorgeous cloth, and 
on it lay a big open book. 

Now the princesses were curious to know what was written 
in the book, especially the eldest, and this is what she read: 

“ The eldest daughter of this king will marry a prince from 
the East.” 

Then the second girl stepped forward, and turning over the 
page she read: 

“ The second daughter of this king will marry a prince from 
the West.” 

The girls were delighted, and laughed and teased each other. 

But the youngest princess did not want to go near the table 
or to open the book. Her elder sisters, however, left her no 
peace, and will she, nill she, they dragged her up to the table, 
and in fear and trembling she turned over the page and read: 

“ The youngest daughter of this king will be married to a 
pig from the North.” 

Now if a thunderbolt had fallen upon her from heaven it 
would not have frightened her more. 

She almost died of misery, and if her sisters had not held 

[ 376 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

her up, she would have sunk to the ground and cut her head 
open. 

When she came out of the fainting fit into which she had 
fallen in her terror, her sisters tried to comfort her, saying: 

“ How can you believe such nonsense ? When did it ever 
happen that a king’s daughter married a pig ? ” 

“ What a baby you are! ” said the other sister; “ has not our 
father enough soldiers to protect you, even if the disgusting 
creature did come to woo you ? ” 

The youngest princess would fain have let herself be con¬ 
vinced by her sisters’ words, and have believed what they said, 
but her heart was heavy. Her thoughts kept turning to the 
book, in which stood written that great happiness waited her 
sisters, but that a fate was in store for her such as had never 
before been known in the world. 

Besides, the thought weighed on her heart that she had been 
guilty of disobeying her father. She began to get quite ill, and 
in a few days she was so changed that it was difficult to recog¬ 
nize her; formerly she had been rosy and merry, now she was 
pale and nothing gave her any pleasure. She gave up playing 
with her sisters in the garden, ceased to gather flowers to put 
in her hair, and never sang when they sat together at their spin¬ 
ning and sewing. 

In the mean time the king won a great victory, and having 
completely defeated and driven off the enemy, he hurried home 
to his daughters, to whom his thoughts had constantly turned. 
Every one went out to meet him with cymbals and fifes and 
drums, and there was great rejoicing over his victorious return. 
The king’s first act on reaching home was to thank Heaven for 
the victory he had gained over the enemies who had risen 
against him. He then entered his palace, and the three prin¬ 
cesses stepped forward to meet him. His joy was great when 
he saw that they were all well, for the youngest did her best 
not to appear sad. 

In spite of this, however, it was not long before the king 
noticed that his third daughter was getting very thin and sad- 
looking. And all of a sudden he felt as if a hot iron were en- 

[377] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

tering his soul, for it flashed through his mind that she had 
disobeyed his word. He felt sure he was right; but to be quite 
certain he called his daughters to him, questioned them, and 
ordered them to speak the truth. They confessed everything, 
but took good care not to say which had led the other two into 
temptation. 

The king was so distressed when he heard it that he was 
almost overcome by grief. But he took heart and tried to com¬ 
fort his daughters, who looked frightened to death. He saw 
that what had happened had happened, and that a thousand 
words would not alter matters by a hair’s-breadth. 

Well, these events had almost been forgotten when one fine 
day a prince from the East appeared at the court and asked the 
king for the hand of his eldest daughter. The king gladly gave 
his consent. A great wedding banquet was prepared, and after 
three days of feasting the happy pair was accompanied to the 
frontier with much ceremony and rejoicing. 

After some time the same thing befell the second daughter, 
who was wooed and won by a prince from the West. 

Now when the young princess saw that everything fell out 
exactly as had been written in the book, she grew very sad. 
She refused to eat, and would not put on her fine clothes nor 
go out walking, and declared that she would rather die than 
become a laughing-stock to the world. But the king would 
not allow her to do anything so wrong, and he comforted her 
in all possible ways. 

So the time passed, till lo and behold! one fine day an enor¬ 
mous pig from the North walked into the palace, and going 
straight up to the king said: “ Hail! oh, king. May your life 
be as prosperous and bright as sunrise on a clear day! ” 

“ I am glad to see you well, friend,” answered the king, 
“ but what wind has brought you hither ? ” 

“ I come a-wooing,” replied the pig. 

Now the king was astonished to hear so fine a speech from 
a pig, and at once it occurred to him that something strange 
was the matter. He would gladly have turned the pig’s 
thoughts in another direction, as he did not wish to give him 

[ 378 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the princess for a wife; but when he heard that the court and 
the whole street were full of all the pigs in the world he saw 
that there was no escape, and that he must give his consent. 
The pig was not satisfied with mere promises, but insisted that 
the wedding should take place within a week, and would not 
go away till the king had sworn a royal oath upon it. 

The king then sent for his daughter, and advised her to sub¬ 
mit to fate, as there was nothing else to be done. And he 
added: 

“ My child, the words and whole behavior of this pig are 
quite unlike those of other pigs. I do not myself believe that 
he always was a pig. Depend upon it some magic or witch¬ 
craft has been at work. Obey him, and do everything that he 
wishes, and I feel sure that Heaven will shortly send you 
release. ,, 

“If you wish me to do this, dear father, I will do it,” replied 
the girl. 

In the mean time the wedding-day drew near. After the 
marriage, the pig and his bride set out for his home in one of 
the royal carriages. On the way they passed a great bog, and 
the pig ordered the carriage to stop, and got out and rolled 
about in the mire till he was covered with mud from head to 
foot; then he got back into the carriage and told his wife to 
kiss him. What was the poor girl to do ? She bethought her¬ 
self of her father’s words, and, pulling out her pocket hand¬ 
kerchief, she gently wiped the pig’s snout and kissed it. 

By the time they reached the pig’s dwelling, which stood in 
a thick wood, it was quite dark. They sat down quietly for a 
little, as they were tired after their drive; then they had supper 
together, and lay down to rest. During the night the princess 
noticed that the pig had changed into a man. She was not a 
little surprised, but remembering her father’s words, she took 
courage, determined to wait and see what would happen. 

And now she noticed that every night the pig became a man, 
and every morning he was changed into a pig before she awoke. 
This happened several nights running, and the princess could 
not understand it at all. Clearly her husband must be be- 

[379] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

witched. In time she grew quite fond of him, he was so kind 
and gentle. 

One fine day as she was sitting alone she saw an old witch 
go past. She felt quite excited, as it was so long since she had 
seen a human being, and she called out to the old woman to 
come and talk to her. Among other things the witch told 
her that she understood all magic arts and that she could fore¬ 
tell the future, and knew the healing powers of herbs and 
plants. 

“ I shall be grateful to you all my life, old dame,” said the 
princess, “ if you will tell me what is the matter with my hus¬ 
band. Why is he a pig by day and a human being by night ? ” 

“ I was just going to tell you that one thing, my dear, to 
show you what a good fortune-teller I am. If you like, I 
will give you an herb to break the spell.” 

“If you will only give it to me,” said the princess, “ I will 
give you anything you choose to ask for, for I cannot bear 
to see him in this state.” 

“ Here, then, my dear child,” said the witch, “ take this 
(thread, but do not let him know about it, for if he did it 
would lose its healing power. At night, when he is asleep, 
you must get up very quietly, and fasten the thread round 
his left foot as firmly as possible; and you will see in the 
morning he will not have changed back into a pig, but will 
still be a man. I do not want any reward. I shall be suffi¬ 
ciently repaid by knowing that you are happy. It almost 
breaks my heart to think of all you have suffered, and I only 
wish I had known it sooner, as I should have come to your 
rescue at once.” 

When the old witch had gone away the princess hid the 
thread very carefully, and at night she got up quietly, and 
with a beating heart she bound the thread round her hus¬ 
band’s foot. Just as she was pulling the knot tight there was 
a crack, and the thread broke, for it was rotten. 

Her husband awoke with a start, and said to her: “ Unhappy 
woman, what have you done? Three days more and this 
unholy spell would have fallen from me, and now, who 

[380] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

knows how long I may have to go about in this disgust¬ 
ing shape? I must leave you at once, and we shall not meet 
again until you have worn out three pairs of iron shoes and 
blunted a steel staff in your search for me.” So saying he dis¬ 
appeared. 

Now, when the princess was left alone she began to weep 
and moan in a way that was pitiful to hear; but when she 
saw that her tears and groans did her no good, she got up, 
determined to go wherever fate should lead her. 

On reaching a town, the first thing she did was to order 
three pairs of iron sandals and a steel staff, and having made 
these preparations for her journey, she set out in search of 
her husband. On and on she wandered over nine seas and 
across nine continents; through forests with trees whose stems 
were as thick as beer-barrels; stumbling and knocking herself 
against the fallen branches, then picking herself up and going 
on; the boughs of the trees hit her face, and the shrubs tore 
her hands, but on she went, and never looked back. At last, 
wearied with her long journey and worn out and overcome 
with sorrow, but still with hope at her heart, she reached a 
house. 

Now who do you think lived there? The moon. 

The princess knocked at the door, and begged to be let in 
that she might rest a little. The mother of the moon, when 
she saw her sad plight, felt a great pity for her, and took 
her in and nursed and tended her. And while she was here 
a little baby came to the poor princess. 

One day the mother of the moon asked her: 

“ How was it possible for you, a mortal, to get hither to 
the house of the moon ? ” 

Then the princess told her all that happened to her, and 
added: “ I shall always be thankful to Heaven for leading 
me hither, and grateful to you that you took pity on me and 
on my baby, and did not leave us to die. Now I beg one last 
favor of you; can your daughter, the moon, tell me where 
my husband is ? ” 

“ She cannot tell you that, my child,” replied the goddess, 

[38i] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ but if you will travel toward the east until you reach the 
dwelling of the sun, he may be able to tell you something. ,, 

Then she gave the princess a roast chicken to eat, and 
warned her to be very careful not to lose any of the bones, 
because they might be of great use to her. 

When the princess had thanked her once more for her hos¬ 
pitality and for her good advice, and had thrown away one 
pair of shoes that were worn out, and had put on a second 
pair, she tied up the chicken bones in a bundle, and taking 
her baby in her arms and her staff in her hand, she set out 
once more on her wanderings. 

On and on and on she went across bare sandy deserts, where 
the roads were so heavy that for every two steps that she 
took forward she fell back one; but she struggled on till she 
had passed these dreary plains; next she crossed high rocky 
mountains, jumping from crag to crag and from peak to peak. 
Sometimes she would rest for a little on a mountain, and then 
start afresh, always farther and farther on. She had to cross 
swamps and to scale mountain peaks covered with flints, so 
that her feet and knees and elbows were all torn and bleed¬ 
ing, and sometimes she came to a precipice across which she 
could not jump, and she had to crawl round on hands and 
knees, helping herself along with her staff. At length, wearied 
to death, she reached the palace in which the sun lived. She 
knocked and begged for admission. The mother of the sun 
opened the door, and was astonished at beholding a mortal 
from the distant earthly shores, and wept with pity when she 
heard of all she had suffered. Then, having promised to ask 
her son about the princess’ husband, she hid her in the cellar, 
so that the sun might notice nothing on his return home, for 
he was always in a bad temper when he came in at night. 

The next day the princess feared that things would not 
go well with her, for the sun had noticed that some one from 
the other world had been in the palace. But his mother had 
soothed him with soft words, assuring him that this was not 
so. So the princess took heart when she saw how kindly she 
was treated, and asked: 


[382] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ But how in the world is it possible for the sun to be angry ? 
He is so beautiful and so good to mortals.” 

“ This is how it happens,” replied the sun’s mother. “ In 
the morning when he stands at the gates of paradise he is 
happy, and smiles on the whole world, but during the day 
he gets cross, because he sees all the evil deeds of men, and 
that is why his heat becomes so scorching; but in the even¬ 
ing he is both sad and angry, for he stands at the gates of 
death; that is his usual course. From there he comes back 
here.” 

She then told the princess that she had asked about her 
husband, but that her son had replied that he knew nothing 
about him, and that her only hope was to go and inquire of 
the wind. 

Before the princess left, the mother of the sun gave her 
a roast chicken to eat, and advised her to take great care of 
the bones, which she did, wrapping them up in a bundle. 
She then threw away her second pair of shoes, which were 
quite worn out, and with her child on her arm and her staff 
in her hand, she set forth on her way to the wind. 

In these wanderings she met with even greater difficulties 
than before, for she came upon one mountain of flints after 
another, out of which tongues of fire would flame up; she 
passed through woods which had never been trodden by hu¬ 
man foot, and had to cross fields of ice and avalanches of 
snow. The poor woman nearly died of these hardships, but 
she kept a brave heart, and at length she reached an enormous 
cave in the side of a mountain. This was where the wind 
lived. There was a little door in the railing in front of the 
cave, and here the princess knocked and begged for admission. 
The mother of the wind had pity on her and took her in, that 
she might rest a little. Here too she was hidden away, so 
that the wind might not notice her. 

The next morning the mother of the wind told her that 
her husband was living in a thick wood, so thick that no ax 
had been able to cut a way through it; here he had built him¬ 
self a sort of house by placing trunks of trees together and 

[ 383 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

'fastening them with withes, and here he lived alone, shunning 
human kind. 

After the mother of the wind had given the princess a 
chicken to eat, and had warned her to take care of the bones, 
she advised her to go by the Milky Way, which at night 
lies across the sky, and to wander on till she reached her 
goal. 

Having thanked the old woman with tears in her eyes for 
her hospitality, and for the good news she had given her, the 
princess set out on her journey and rested neither night nor 
day, so great was her longing to see her husband again. On 
and on she walked until her last pair of shoes fell in pieces. 
So she threw them away and went on with bare feet, not 
heeding the bogs nor the thorns that wounded her, nor the 
stones that bruised her. At last she reached a beautiful green 
meadow on the edge of a wood. Her heart was cheered by 
the sight of the flowers and the soft cool grass, and she sat 
down and rested for a little. But hearing the birds chirping 
to their mates among the trees made her think with longing of 
her husband, and she wept bitterly, and taking her child in 
her arms, and her bundle of chicken bones on her shoulder, she 
entered the wood. 

For three days and three nights she struggled through it, 
but could find nothing. She was quite worn out with weari¬ 
ness and hunger, and even her staff was no further help to 
her, for in her many wanderings it had become quite blunted. 
She almost gave up in despair, but made one last great ef¬ 
fort, and suddenly in a thicket she came upon the sort of 
house that the mother of the wind had described. It had no 
windows, and the door was up in the roof. Round the house 
she went, in search of steps, but could find none. What was 
she to do? How was she to get in? She thought and 
thought, and tried in vain to climb up to the door. Then sud¬ 
denly she bethought her of the chicken bones that she had 
dragged all that weary way, and she said to herself: “ They 
would not all have told me to take such good care of these 
bones if they had not had some good reason for doing so. 

[ 384 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Perhaps now, in my hour of need, they may be of use to 
me.” 

So she took the bones out of her bundle, and having thought 
for a moment, she placed the two ends together. To her sur¬ 
prise they stuck tight; then she added the other bones, till 
she had two long poles the height of the house; these she 
placed against the wall, at a distance of a yard from each 
other. Across them she placed the other bones, piece by piece, 
like the steps of a ladder. As soon as one step was finished 
she stood upon it and made the next one, and then the next, 
till she was close to the door. But just as she got near the 
top she noticed that there were no bones left for the last 
rung of the ladder. What was she to do? Without that last 
step the whole ladder was useless. She must have lost one 
of the bones. Then suddenly an idea came to her. Taking 
a knife she chopped off her little finger, and placing it on the 
last step, it stuck as the bones had done. The ladder was 
complete, and with her child on her arm she entered the door 
of the house. Here she found everything in perfect order. 
Having taken some food, she laid the child down to sleep 
in a trough and sat down herself to rest. 

When her husband, the pig, came back to his house, he was 
startled by what he saw. At first he could not believe his 
eyes, and stared at the ladder of bones, and at the little finger 
on the top of it. He felt that some fresh magic must be at 
work, and in his terror he almost turned away from the house; 
but then a better idea came to him, and he changed himself 
into a dove, so that no witchcraft could have power over him, 
and flew into the room without touching the ladder. Here 
he found a woman rocking a child. At the sight of her, look¬ 
ing so changed by all that she had suffered for his sake, his 
heart was moved by such love and pity that he suddenly be¬ 
came a man. 

The princess stood up when she saw him, and her heart beat 
with fear, for she did not know him. But when he had told 
her who he was, in her great joy she forgot all her suffer¬ 
ings, and they seemed as nothing to her. He was a very 

[38s] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

handsome man, as straight as a fir-tree. They sat down to¬ 
gether and she told him all her adventures, and he wept at 
the tale. And then he told her his own history. 

“ I am a king’s son. Once when my father was fighting 
against some dragons, who were the scourge of our country, 
I slew the youngest dragon. His mother, who was a witch, 
cast a spell over me and changed me into a pig. It was she 
who in the disguise of an old woman gave you the thread to 
bind round my foot. So that instead of the three days that 
had to run before the spell was broken, I was forced to re¬ 
main a pig for three more years. Now that we have suffered 
for each other, and have found each other again, let us for¬ 
get the past.” 

Next morning they set out early to return to >his father’s 
kingdom. Great was the rejoicing of all the people when they 
saw him and his wife; his father and his mother embraced 
them both, and there was feasting in the palace for three days 
and three nights. 

Then they set out to see her father. The old king nearly 
went out of his mind with joy at beholding his daughter again. 
When she had told him all her adventures, he said to her: 

“ Did not I tell you that I was quite sure that the creature 
who wooed and won you as his wife, had not been born a pig? 
You see, my child, how wise you were in doing what I told 
you.” 

And as the king was old and had no heirs, he pfft them 
on the throne in his place. And they ruled as only kings rule 
who have suffered many things. And if they are not dead, 
they are still living and ruling happily. 


[386] 


The Three Musicians 


^^NCE upon a time three musicians left their home and 
f M set out on their travels. They had all learned music 
from the same master, and they determined to stick to¬ 
gether and to seek their fortune in foreign lands. They wan¬ 
dered merrily from place to place and made quite a good liv¬ 
ing, and were much appreciated by every one who heard them 
play. One evening they came to a village where they de¬ 
lighted all the company with their beautiful music. At last 
they ceased playing, and began to eat and drink and listen 
to the talk that was going on around them. They heard all 
the gossip of the place, and many wonderful things were re¬ 
lated and discussed. At last the conversation fell on a castle 
in the neighborhood, about which many strange and marvel¬ 
ous things were told. One person said that hidden treasure 
was to be found there; another that the richest food was al¬ 
ways to be had there, although the castle was uninhabited; 
and a third that an evil spirit dwelt within the walls, so ter¬ 
rible that any one who forced his way into the castle came 
out of it more dead than alive. 

As soon as the three musicians were alone in their bedroom 
they agreed to go and examine the mysterious castle and if 
possible to find and carry away the hidden treasure. They 
determined, too, to make the attempt separately, one after the 
other, according to age, and they settled that a whole day 
was to be given to each adventurer in which to try his luc^k. 

The fiddler was the first to set out on his adventures, and 
did so in the best of spirits and full of courage. When he 
reached the castle he found the outer gate open, quite as if 
he were an expected guest, but no sooner had he stepped 

[387] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

across the entry than the heavy door closed behind him with 
a bang, and was bolted with a huge iron bar, exactly as if a 
sentinel were doing his office and keeping watch, but no 
human being was to be seen anywhere. An awful terror 
overcame the fiddler, but it was hopeless to think of turning 
back or of standing still, and the hopes of finding gold and 
other treasures gave him strength and courage to force his 
way farther into the castle. Up-stairs and down-stairs he wan¬ 
dered, through lofty halls, splendid rooms, and lovely little 
boudoirs, everything beautifully arranged, and all kept in the 
most perfect order. But the silence of death reigned every¬ 
where, and no living thing, not even a fly, was to be seen. 
Notwithstanding, the youth felt his spirits return to him when 
he entered the lower regions of the castle, for in the kitchen 
the most tempting and delicious food was spread out, the 
cellars were full of the most costly wine, and the store-room 
crammed with pots of every sort of jam you can imagine. 
A cheerful fire was burning in the kitchen, before which a 
roast was being basted by unseen hands, and all kinds of 
vegetables and other dainty dishes were being prepared in 
like manner. Before the fiddler had time to think he was 
ushered into a little room by invisible hands, and there a table 
was spread for him with all the delicious food he had seen 
cooking in the kitchen. , ^ 

The youth first seized his fiddle and played a beautiful air 
on it which echoed through the silent halls, and then he fell 
to and began to eat a hearty meal. Before long, however, 
the door opened and a tiny man, not more than three feet 
high, stepped into the room, clothed in a dressing-gown and 
with a small wrinkled face, and a gray beard which reached 
down to the silver buckles of his shoes. And the little man 
sat down beside the fiddler and shared his meal. When they 
got to the game course the fiddler handed the dwarf a knife 
and fork, and begged him to help himself first and then to 
pass the dish on. The little creature nodded, but helped him¬ 
self so clumsily that he dropped the piece of meat he had 
carved on to the floor. 

[ 388 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The good-natured fiddler bent down to pick it up, but in 
the twinkling of an eye the little man had jumped on to his 
back, and beat him till he was black and blue all over his 
head and body. At last, when the fiddler was nearly dead, 
the little wretch left off, and shoved the poor fellow out of the 
iron gate which he had entered in such good spirits a few 
hours before. The fresh air revived him a little, and in a 
short time he was able to stagger with aching limbs back to 
the inn where his companions were staying. It was night 
when he reached the place and the other two musicians were 
fast asleep. The next morning they were much astonished 
at finding the fiddler in bed beside them and overwhelmed him 
with questions, but their friend hid his back and face and an¬ 
swered them very shortly, saying: “ Go there yourselves and 
see what’s to be seen! It is a ticklish matter, that I can as¬ 
sure you.” 

The second musician, who was a trumpeter, now made his 
way to the castle, and everything happened to him exactly 
as it had to the fiddler. He was just as hospitably enter¬ 
tained at first, and then just as cruelly beaten and belabored, 
so that next morning he too lay in his bed like a wounded 
hare, assuring his friends that the task of getting into the 
haunted castle was no enviable one. Notwithstanding the 
warning of his companions, the third musician, who played 
the flute, was still determined to try his luck, and full of cour¬ 
age and daring he set out, resolved, if possible, to find and 
secure the hidden treasure. 

Fearlessly he wandered through the whole castle, and as 
he roamed through the splendid empty apartments he thought 
to himself how nice it would be to live there always, espe¬ 
cially with a full larder and cellar at his disposal. A table 
was spread for him too, and when he had wandered about for 
some time, singing and playing the flute, he sat down as his 
companions had done, prepared to enjoy the delicious food 
that was spread out in front of him. Then the little man 
with the beard entered as before and seated himself beside 
the flute-player, who wasn’t the least startled at his appear- 

[389] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

ance, but chatted away to him as if he had known him all his 
life, though he didn’t find his companion very communicative. 
At last they came to the game, and as usual the little man 
let his piece fall on the ground. The flute-player was good- 
naturedly just going to pick it up, when he perceived that 
the little dwarf was in the act of springing on his back. Then 
he turned round sharply, and seizing the little creature by 
his beard, he gave him such a shaking that he tore his beard 
out and the dwarf sank groaning to the ground. 

But as soon as the youth had the beard in his hands he 
felt so strong that he was fit for anything, and he perceived 
all sorts of things in the castle that he had not noticed before; 
but, on the other hand, all strength seemed to have gone from 
the little man. He whined and sobbed out: “ Give, oh, give 
me my beard again, and I will instruct you in all the magic 
art that surrounds this castle and will help you to carry off 
the hidden treasure, which will make you rich and happy 
forever.” 

But the cunning flute-player replied: “ I will give you back 
your beard, but you must first help me as you have promised 
to do. Till you have done so, I don’t let your beard out of 
my hands.” 

Then the old man found himself obliged to fulfil his prom¬ 
ise, though he had had no intention of doing so, and had 
only desired to get his beard back. He made the youth fol¬ 
low him through dark secret passages, underground vaults, 
and gray rocks till at last they came to an open field, which 
looked as if it belonged to a more beautiful world than ours. 
Then they came to a stream of rushing water; but the little 
man drew out a wand and touched the waves, whereupon the 
waters parted and stood still, and the two crossed the river 
with dry feet. And how beautiful everything on the other 
side was; lovely green paths leading through woods and 
fields covered with flowers, birds with gold and silver feathers 
singing on the trees, lovely butterflies and glittering beetles 
fluttering and crawling about, and dear little beasts hiding in 
the bushes and hedges. The sky above them was not blue, but 

[ 390 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

like rays of pure gold, and the stars looked twice their usual 
size and far more brilliant than on our earth. 

The youth grew more and more astonished when the little 
gray man led him into a castle far bigger and more splendid 
than the one they had left. Here, too, the deepest silence 
reigned. They wandered all through the castle, and came at 
last to a room in the middle of which stood a bed hung all 
round with heavy curtains. Over the bed hung a bird’s cage, 
and the bird inside it was singing beautiful songs into the 
silent space. The little gray man lifted the curtains from 
the bed and beckoned the youth to approach. On the rich 
silk cushions embroidered with gold a lovely maiden lay 
sleeping. She was as beautiful as an angel, with golden hair 
which fell in curls over her marble shoulders, and a diamond 
crown sparkled on her forehead. But a sleep as of death held 
her in its spell, and no noise seemed able to waken the sleeper. 

Then the little man turned to the wondering youth and said: 
“ See, here is the sleeping child! She is a mighty princess. 
This splendid castle and this enchanted land are hers, but for 
hundreds of years she has slept this magic sleep, and during 
all that time no human being has been able to find their way 
here. I alone have kept guard over her and have gone daily 
to my own castle to get food and to beat the greedy gold- 
seekers who forced their way into my dwelling. I have 
watched over the princess carefully all these years and saw 
that no stranger came near her, but all my magic power lay in 
my beard, and now that you have taken it away I am helpless 
and can no longer hold the beautiful princess in her enchanted 
sleep, but am forced to reveal my treasured secret to you. 
So set to work and do as I tell you. Take the bird which 
hangs over the princess’ head, and which by its song sang 
her into this enchanted sleep—a song which it has had to 
continue ever since; take it and kill it, and cut its little heart 
out and burn it to a powder and then put it into the prin¬ 
cess’ mouth; then she will instantly awaken and will bestow on 
you her heart and hand, her kingdom and castle, and all her 
treasures. 


[391] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The little dwarf paused, quite worn out, and the youth did 
not wait long to do his bidding. He did all he was told care¬ 
fully and promptly, and having cut the little bird’s heart out 
he proceeded to make it into a powder. No sooner had he 
placed it in the princess’ mouth than she opened her lovely 
eyes, and looking up into the happy youth’s face, she kissed 
him tenderly, thanked him for freeing her from her magic 
sleep, and promised to be his wife. At the same moment a 
sound as of thunder was heard all over the castle, and on all 
the staircases and in every room sounds were to be heard. 
Then a troop of servants, male and female, flocked into the 
apartment where the happy couple sat, and after wishing 
the princess and her bridegroom joy, they dispersed all over 
the castle to their different occupations. 

But the little gray dwarf began now to demand his beard 
again from the youth, for in his wicked heart he was deter¬ 
mined to make an end of all their happiness; he knew that if 
only his beard were once more on his chin he would be able 
to do what he liked with them all. But the clever flute-player 
was quite a match for the little man in cunning, and said: 
“ All right, you needn’t be afraid. You shall get your beard 
back before we part, but you must allow my bride and me 
to accompany you a bit on your homeward way.” 

The dwarf could not refuse this request, and so they all 
went together through the beautiful green paths and flowery 
meadows, and came at last to the river which flowed for miles 
round the princess’ land and formed the boundary of her king¬ 
dom. There was no bridge or ferry-boat to be seen anywhere, 
and it was impossible to get over to the other side, for the 
boldest swimmer would not have dared to brave the fierce 
current and roaring waters. Then the youth said to the 
dwarf, “ Give me your wand in order that I may part the 
waves.” 

And the dwarf was forced to do as he was told because the 
youth still kept his beard from him, but the wicked little 
creature chuckled with joy and thought to himself: “The 
foolish youth will hand me my beard as soon as we have 

[392] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

crossed the river and then my power will return, and I will 
seize my wand and prevent them both from ever returning to 
their beautiful country.” 

But the dwarf’s wicked intentions were doomed to dis¬ 
appointment. The happy youth struck the water with his 
wand and the waves at once parted and stood still, and the 
dwarf went on in front and crossed the stream. No sooner 
had he done so than the waters closed behind him and the 
youth and his lovely bride stood safe on the other side. 
Then they threw his beard to the old man across the river, 
but they kept his wand, so that the wicked dwarf could never 
again enter their kingdom. So the happy couple returned to 
their castle and lived there in peace and plenty forever after. 
But the other two musicians waited in vain for the return of 
their companion; and when he never came they said, “ Ah, 
he’s gone to play the flute,” till the saying passed into a prov¬ 
erb and was always said of any one who set out to perform 
a task from which he never returned. 


[393] 


The Three Dogs 


r HE King of the Islets had three charming daughters, 
but the strange part about it was that he kept them 
shut up in a high tower, and nobody was ever al¬ 
lowed to go near them, save their own especial attendants. 

Of course the king had a good reason for treating them in 
this manner. It was not that he did not love them. Oh, 
dear, no! It was for quite a different cause. On the day that 
each princess reached her second birthday an old crone had 
appeared at the palace, and whence she came, or whither she 
went, nobody had ever been able to find out. But each time 
she had left behind her a silver casket, and when it was opened 
they found a scroll inside. This scroll told that if the king 
allowed the child to be out in the open air, for even a few 
minutes, before she reached the age of fifteen, she would be 
carried off by the mountain trolls. 

You must know that the princesses had just reached the 
ages of eight, ten, and twelve, so' you may guess they were 
pretty nearly tired of being shut up in the gloomy tower. 

One bright summer day they all three sat by their tiny 
window looking out on the garden below. It was not long 
before the youngest girl spied a fine peacock strutting about 
the terrace. He looked so grand, with the sun shining on 
his outspread tail, that she pointed him out to the other 
two. 

Well, they all took such a fancy to the pretty bird that 
nothing else would please them but to run into the garden 
and see him closer. So they begged hard to be allowed to 
go out for a little, but it was not a bit of use, for the chief 
attendant held up his hands in horror at the very thought. 

[ 394 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Why,” he said, “ the king would have us all beheaded on 
the spot if we let you out for a single moment even! ” 

Still, the princesses pleaded so hard and so very prettily 
that at last they had their way, and, after promising not to 
stay out for more than five minutes, the doors were unlocked, 
and the three tripped into the open air. 

But the peacock had vanished, so they ran from place to 
place in the hope of finding him again, until they were quite 
a long distance from the castle. 

Suddenly a whole army of tiny men appeared, and where 
they sprang from the children had not the slightest idea. 
Before the princesses could utter a word, they were borne off 
by the mountain folk, and taken—nobody knew where. 

There was a dreadful commotion at the castle when the 
news reached the king. To tell the truth, his majesty was 
so upset at losing his children that he wept for a whole week. 
After that he dried his eyes, “ for,” said he, “ what’s done 
can’t be undone, I suppose ”; which, of course, was quite true. 
So the king devoted all his time to searching for the lost prin¬ 
cesses. But although they hunted north, south, east, and 
west, not a trace could be found of the missing children. 

“ This will never do,” said his majesty one day. “ The 
princesses must be found somehow. If there is a man in the 
kingdom who can rescue my three daughters, that man shall 
have one of the three princesses for his bride, and half the 
kingdom as well.” 

Now, two foreign princes chanced to be passing a few days 
at the court, and a more boastful pair could never be met. 

“ Find the princesses,” said they. “ We’ll do that while 
the other folks are thinking over the matter,” so off they set 
on their search, with their heads held high in the air. 

You must know that in a wood at some distance from the 
palace dwelt a widow and her only son. “ Boots ” was the 
nickname she gave to him, and a fine-looking fellow he was, 
too. Since the widow was very poor indeed, it fell to the 
lad’s share to look after his mother’s hogs in the wood. 

Day by day Boots set out for the forest with the three 

[395] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

hogs, and he always took with him a tiny flute, upon which 
he played such sweet music that all who heard it were 
charmed. 

One fine morning he was amusing himself,, as usual, by 
playing merry tunes, when suddenly a little old man appeared 
before him. He had a long, white beard, which flowed right 
down to his feet, and by his side trotted a big dog. 

“ Good morning, my son,” he said, in a solemn tone. “ I 
want to exchange my dog for one of your hogs.” 

Now, Boots thought this would not be a bad bargain at all. 
“ If I had a dog,” he said to himself, “ it would take care of 
all the hogs for me.” So he replied: 

“ You shall have one of the animals with pleasure, for I 
have taken quite a fancy to your dog.” 

“ Very well,” said the dwarf. “ The gray hog with the 
white spot on its back will suit me best of all. And,” he 
added, “ you’ll never regret having met me to-day, of that I’m 
sure.” 

“ As for my dog,” went on the little man, “ there never 
was a dog like him,” and the dwarf fairly chuckled with glee. 

“ Might I ask,” said Boots, “ what makes him such a re¬ 
markable animal? Does he do any wonderful tricks?” 

“Tricks, indeed!” cried the little man. “My dog do 
tricks! Why, he’d scorn to do anything of the sort. He’s 
no common animal. His name is Holdfast, and whatever you 
wish him to hold, he’ll grip tightly, even though it be the 
fiercest Troll.” 

And with these words he vanished, leaving Holdfast 
behind. 

So Boots waited until evening came, and then he drove the 
two hogs home again. 

“ I have done a fine stroke of business to-day, mother,” he 
cried. “ I’ve given one of our old hogs in exchange for this 
fine dog!” 

“A dog!” cried the woman. “Why, lad, where is your 
sense? I can’t take a dog to market and sell him. Oh, dear! 
oh, dear! we shall be ruined at this rate.” 

[ 396 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Boots tried to explain to her that this was no ordinary ani¬ 
mal, but the woman was so very angry that she would not 
listen to a word, and she drove the lad out of the house. 

“Holdfast!—hold!” cried Boots, in a loud voice, and up 
rushed the dog in an instant. 

He seized the dame, and held her so tightly that she could 
not move so much as an inch. 

“ Help! Help! ” cried the woman. “ Boots, do set me free, 
there’s a good lad!” 

“ Not until you promise to be friends again,” replied the 
boy. 

“ If you’ll only call off this animal,” said the dame, in a 
terrified voice, “ I’ll never be angry with you again.” 

So Boots called off the dog, and peace was restored once 
more. 

Next day the lad went off to the forest as usual, and this 
time he took the two hogs and his big dog with him. 

After a time, he drew out his flute and began to play a 
merry air. To the great surprise of Boots, the dog began 
to caper and dance in the most comical manner, and Boots 
burst into fits of laughter at the sight. 

In the midst of all this there appeared the same little man 
who had visited him the day before, and by his side walked 
another dog every bit as big as the first. 

“ Good-day, lad,” said the dwarf. “ I have come to see if 
you will give me another of your fat hogs.” 

“ That I will,” replied Boots, “ if I may have your dog in 
exchange.” 

“ This dog,” said the little man solemnly, “ is worth his 
weight in gold. ‘ Tear,’ I call him, and whatever you bid 
him tear, he’ll rend it into pieces, even though it be the fierc¬ 
est of trolls. Still, you shall have him, for your hogs are in 
prime condition.” 

Well, away went the dwarf with the hog by his side, while 
the dog stayed behind with Boots. 

In the evening the lad went home again, and this time he 
had only one hog to look after. 

[ 397 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ I have had another stroke of luck, mother,” said Boots, 
as soon as he set eyes upon the old woman. 

“ Luck, you call it, do you?” cried the angry dame, when 
she spied the second dog. “ Then it’s bad luck, and very bad, 
in my opinion. Of my three fat hogs, there is only one left.” 

This time she did not dare to turn the lad out of doors, 
for if one dog could grip as hard as Holdfast had done, there 
was no knowing what would happen if the pair of them set 
upon her, for they looked so very fierce. 

Next morning Boots started out again for the forest, with 
the hog and two dogs by his side. He played a lively air 
on his flute, and this time both dogs fell to and danced and 
capered round. 

“ All this is fine fun,” said Boots, and as he spoke up 
walked the little dwarf a third time, and by his side was 
another big dog. 

“ Good-day, lad,” said the little man. “ I should like to 
have your other hog, if you are willing to part with it. I have 
here a dog, and such an animal is to be found nowhere else. 
‘ Quick-ear ’ his name is, and quick you’ll find him, too. His 
hearing is so sharp that he knows what is going on a mile 
away. It’s my belief,” chuckled the dwarf, “ that he can even 
hear the grass growing in the fields. Still, I will give him to 
you in exchange for your hog, if you will let me have it.” 

It did not take Boots long to make up his mind, and soon 
the little man was walking away with the last hog. 

When evening drew nigh, Boots returned to the cottage, 
taking with him the three big dogs. 

“ Mother,” he cried, “ I have had still another stroke of 
good luck, for to-day I changed the last of your old hogs 
for this fine dog.” 

Well, the poor woman wept and wailed without ceasing, 
for how were they going to live now that Boots had got rid 
of all three of her hogs ? 

But the lad told her to dry her tears, for instead of being 
badly off, their fortune was nearly made. 

“ Just pack me up a little food, mother,” he said, “ and I’ll 

[ 398 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

be off at once into the world with my dogs. I’m sure, with 
three such clever animals as these are, I shall soon find some 
way of making a goodly pile.” 

So Boots got his parcel of food, and away he went, with 
the three dogs running at his heels. 

When he was about half-way through the forest, up walked 
the little man who had given him the three dogs. 

“ Whither away, lad ? ” asked the dwarf. 

“ To seek my fortune, father,” replied Boots. 

“ Keep straight ahead, lad, until you reach a royal palace, 
and when you once get there, my three dogs will prove their 
worth, you will find.” 

So Boots thanked him kindly, and went on his way once 
more. 

Now, everything happened just as the dwarf had said. 
Boots soon reached the king’s palace, and he went boldly up 
to the guards and asked for admission. 

“ I have here three clever dogs,” he said, “ and I should 
just like to show his majesty how gracefully they can dance.” 

Well, in the end he was taken into the king’s presence, and 
Boots drew out his flute and struck up a lively air. Directly 
the first note sounded, the three dogs began to dance and 
caper, and the more they danced the more his majesty roared 
with laughter. 

Now, the king had never been known to smile since he 
had lost his daughters, seven years before, but now he was 
so pleased with the antics of the three dogs that he laughed 
again and again. 

When the dancing was over, his majesty handed a big purse 
of gold to the lad, and thanked him for the delightful enter¬ 
tainment. 

“Sire,” cried Boots, “I want no gold! I only crave your 
majesty’s permission to be allowed to search for the lost prin¬ 
cesses, for I hear you have had no news of them yet.” 

“ You may try your luck, with pleasure,” replied the king, 
“ and I hope you may succeed in your task, for I have taken 
quite a fancy to you myself.” 

[399] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

So Boots took leave of the king, and set out once more 
into the world with his three faithful dogs. Holdfast carried 
all the food, while Quick-ear made it his business to listen 
intently to everything that went on around. As for Tear, he 
was the strongest of the three, and when Boots grew weary 
from tramping along the rough roads, he just got on to the 
back of Tear, and was carried along quite comfortably. 

But one day Quick-ear was nowhere to be found, and 
Boots was in great trouble, for he thought the animal must 
surely be lost. All at once he came bounding back again, 
looking very important indeed. 

“ I have found one of them,” he said, with a very knowing 
look on his face. 

“ I beg your pardon,” said Boots; “ you have found what? ” 
for he had no idea that his dog could speak. 

“ I have found the eldest princess,” was the dog’s reply, 
“and now is your time to go to her rescue. I was passing 
by yon high mountain,” he went on, “ and I heard one of the 
king’s daughters spinning inside it, and, if I am not mistaken, 
the Troll himself is not at home.” 

“ Take me to the spot quickly! ” ordered Boots; so Quick- 
ear led the way, and the youth and the other two dogs followed 
close behind. 

When they came to the mountain, Quick-ear placed his 
ear to the ground. 

“There is no time to be lost!” he cried loudly. “The 
Troll will soon be back. I can hear the golden shoes of his 
horse in the distance. He is just ten miles off.” 

So Boots told the three dogs to cast themselves against the 
door of the mountain with all their force, and this they did. 
The door flew open at once, and the youth and the dogs en¬ 
tered. They soon came to a room where they saw a beauti¬ 
ful maiden spinning. She used a golden spindle, and worked 
with golden thread, so of course Boots knew directly that she 
was a princess. 

“Halt!” she cried, when she saw him. “Who dares to 
enter the Troll’s home? Take my advice and be off at once. 

[ 4°o j 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

He has kept me a prisoner here for seven long years, and 
never once have I set eyes on a human being all the time. 
If the Troll returns and finds you here he will kill you on the 
spot.” 

“ Fair maiden,” said Boots, “ I fear no Troll, be he ever so 
fierce.” 

But while he spoke the words, up galloped the monster on 
his golden-shod horse. 

“ Who has broken open the door of my dwelling? ” roared 
the Troll, in a terrible voice. 

“I did!” cried Boots, boldly, “and in a like manner I 
will break your head!” he added. 

“ Ho! my fine fellow! ” thundered the Troll, “ we will soon 
see about that! ” and he made a dash for the youth. 

“ Holdfast! ” shouted the youth, “ hold him! Tear and 
Quick-ear, kill him at once! ” 

Up rushed the three dogs, and they threw themselves upon 
the monster with such force that over he rolled. 

Then Holdfast gripped him tightly, while the other two 
flew at his throat, and the next instant the Troll lay dead 
upon the floor. 

“Now I am saved!” cried the princess, and she thanked 
Boots again and again. 

Then the youth gathered together all the Troll’s treasure, 
and saddled two of his horses. On one he placed the prin¬ 
cess and on the other he himself rode, and away they went 
from the gloomy cave. 

When they had gone on for about an hour, Quick-ear came 
bounding up to Boots with the news that he had found the 
second princess. 

“ She is in yonder mountain,” he said, “ for as I passed by 
I heard her spinning. If you go at once to her rescue, you 
may be able to manage it, for the Troll is not at home, I 
know.” 

“ Oh, do save my poor sister! ” cried the princess, when she 
heard the tale. 

Yes, Boots would do his best to rescue her, he said, if 
[401 ] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

she herself did not mind being left alone while he went to 
the cave. 

Of course the princess did not mind in the least, so Boots 
hurried off with his three dogs to the mountain. 

“ Don’t waste time,” said Quick-ear, “ for already I hear 
the Troll riding home, and he is only eight miles off 
now.” 

So when they reached the mountain Boots bade the three 
dogs burst open the door, which they did quite easily. 

The youth then stepped inside, followed by the dogs, and 
there sat a beautiful damsel spinning. 

“ Oh, dear!” she cried, when she saw Boots, “who dares 
to enter the Troll’s home? Pray go at once, or he will kill 
you on the spot, if he finds you here on his return. For seven 
long years he has kept me a prisoner in this cave, and not a 
single human being have I set eyes upon the whole time 
until to-day.” 

“ Have no fear, fair maiden,” replied Boots, “ for I am a 
match for the fiercest Troll that ever lived.” 

As he spoke, the Troll galloped up to the cave. 

“ Who broke open my door? ” he roared, in a voice like 
thunder. 

“ I broke it open,” said Boots, “ and I’ll break you in a 
like manner.” 

This made the Troll so angry that he raised his club to 
strike the youth, but Boots was too quick for him. 

“Holdfast!” he cried, “hold him. Tear and Quick-ear, 
kill him at once! ” 

The dogs rushed up, and while Holdfast grasped the Troll’s 
coat, the other two gripped him so tightly by the throat that 
he fell dead to the ground. 

“Now I am saved!” cried the princess, and she thanked 
Boots over and over again. 

Then Boots saddled a couple of the Troll’s horses, and 
loaded them with all the treasure he could find in the cave. 
A third horse he made ready for the princess, and a fourth 
he mounted himself. 


[402] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Away they rode at full speed from the mountain, and soon 
they came to the spot where the other maiden sat awaiting 
their return. You may guess the sisters were delighted to 
meet once more, and the three journeyed on together for 
some miles with the faithful dogs. 

Next day Quick-ear came running up again, and this time 
he brought back news about the third princess. 

“ You will find her inside yonder mountain,” he said, “for 
I heard her spinning as I passed by. Now is your time to 
go to the rescue, as the Troll is not at home.” 

“ I will go at once and set her free!” cried Boots—“that 
is, if the princesses do not mind waiting here until I return.” 

No, they did not mind a bit; so Quick-ear led the way, 
and Boots followed with Holdfast and Tear. 

“ There is no time to be lost,” said Quick-ear, when they 
reached the mountain. “ The Troll is not more than five 
miles off now. I hear the clatter of his horse’s hoofs along 
the road.” 

So Boots told the dogs to cast themselves against the door 
of the mountain with all their force. They did so, and the 
door flew open. Boots stepped inside, followed by the three 
animals, and there sat a maiden weaving cloth of gold. 

“ Who dares to enter the Troll’s dwelling? ” she cried. 
“ For seven long years have I been a prisoner here, and never 
once have I set eyes upon a human being all the time until 
now. Pray go at once, for if the Troll finds you here on his 
return he will put you to death without doubt.” 

But Boots told the princess that he would be only too 
pleased to risk his life for such a beautiful maiden as she, and 
while he was speaking, up rode the Troll himself. 

No sooner did he spy the open door than he guessed how 
things were directly. Now, this Troll was ten times more 
cunning than any of his brethren, so he stepped inside and 
pretended to greet Boots very kindly. 

“ Good-day, my friend,” he cried. “ Since you have been 
good enough to call, I hope you will honor us by staying to 
lunch.” 


[403] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Boots thought this very kind indeed of the Troll, and he 
replied that he would be very pleased to do so, and they all 
three sat down to a good meal. 

When it was over the Troll pretended to be very thirsty. 

“ At the top of the mountain/’ he said to Boots, “ there is 
a spring flowing with the finest wine, but, as luck will have 
it, I have nobody to send and fetch a draught of it.” 

“ Oh,” answered the lad, “ if that is all, one of my dogs 
will get it.” 

Now that was just what the Troll wanted, for he thought 
that when once the dogs were out of the way, he would be 
pretty safe himself. 

So Boots told Holdfast to go to the spring, and the Troll 
handed him a big pitcher, which he was to fill to the brim. 

Time passed, but no dog came back, and at last the cunning 
Troll suggested that another of the dogs should be sent to 
find him. 

Boots called Tear, and commanded him to set out and 
look for Holdfast at once. 

“ Perhaps the pitcher is heavy,” he said, “ and, if so, you 
can help him to carry it.” 

Some time passed, but neither of the dogs returned. 

“ It is quite clear,” sneered the Troll, “ that your dogs do 
not trouble to obey you. If they did, we should not be sitting 
here thirsty.” 

This made Boots so angry that he called Quick-ear, and 
bade him bring the others back at once. 

But Quick-ear fared no better than the others had done. 
When he reached the top of the mountain, the Troll cast a 
spell over him, just as he had over the other two, and a big- 
wall rose up around him. 

No sooner were the three dogs safely out of the way than 
the Troll seized a huge sword from the wall and shouted: 

“ Now you are in my power; so prepare to die at once.” 

“ One moment,” cried poor Boots. “ In our part of the 
country, when a man is doomed to die, it is usual to grant 
his last request.” 

[404] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

* 

“ Out with it then, quickly,” roared the Troll. “ What 
is it you want?” 

“ Pray let me play just one tune on my dear old flute before 
I die,” begged Boots. 

“ Make haste about it, then,” shouted the Troll angrily. 

Boots then began to play a merry air, and at that instant 
the spell was broken, and down the mountain rushed the three 
dogs. 

“ Holdfast! ” cried Boots, “ hold him! Tear and Quick-ear, 
rend him into pieces!” 

Quick as thought the three animals cast themselves upon 
the Troll, and the next minute he lay dead upon the ground. 

“At last I am free!” cried the princess, and she thanked 
Boots quite half a dozen times. 

Then Boots took the Troll’s gilded coach from the stable, 
and harnessed a fine pair of horses to it. When all was 
ready, he handed the princess in, and drove quickly to where 
the other two were waiting for him. 

You may be sure there was great joy between the three 
sisters when they were united once more, and after that the 
four set out for the palace of the king. 

They had not gone very far before they overtook two men, 
who were traveling in the same direction. The strangers 
were clothed in very ragged garments, and they looked so 
tired and worn that Boots took pity on them and offered to 
give them a lift in his coach. 

Of course the two men were very thankful, and they told 
Boots their story. They were two princes, they said, and 
seven years before they had started out to search for the three 
princesses who had been carried away by the mountain folk. 
But although they had hunted everywhere, they had not been 
successful, and were now obliged to beg their way home, for 
they had not a penny left in the world. 

Then Boots told the pair that the princesses had already 
been found, and were at that moment sitting in the chariot 
with them. 

This news made the princes so angry that they put their 

[405] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

heads together and tried to think of a plan by which they 
might get rid of Boots. You see, they did not like the idea 
of another man succeeding where they had failed. 

So they seized poor Boots and cast him out of the coach, 
and when they had wounded him badly, they left him by the 
roadside with his three faithful dogs. 

As for the three princesses, they were threatened with death 
unless they would promise never to say a word about what 
had happened. 

It was not long before they reached the palace, for the 
princes had whipped up the horses and driven at the top of 
their speed. 

The king was overjoyed to see his children again, for he 
had begun to think they must really be dead. 

He loaded all sorts of favors upon the two princes, for he 
thought they had been the means of restoring his daughters 
to him. 

All this time poor Boots lay in the forest, where he had 
been left for dead. But the three dogs never moved from 
his side, and they licked his wounds again and again, until 
Boots at last began to recover. 

When he was quite well, he set out on foot for the king’s 
palace with the three dogs. 

It was a long journey, but at last Boots came to the end 
of it. You may guess how surprised he was when he reached 
the royal dwelling to find a feast was being held. On every 
side he heard laughter and mirth, and he could not under¬ 
stand it at all. 

“ What is the meaning of all this merrymaking? ” he asked 
one of the guards. 

“ I should just like to know what land you have come from, 
if you need to ask that question,” replied the man. “ I 
thought everybody knew that the three princesses have been 
found at last, and that to-morrow the two elder ones are to be 
married.” 

“ Really,” said Boots, “ I have been traveling in foreign 
parts, you see, or I should no doubt have heard the news 

[406] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

before. And who are the two princesses going to marry, 
might I ask ? ” 

“ The king has bestowed one of them upon each of the two 
princes who rescued them/’ was the answer. 

“And the youngest princess ?” asked Boots. “ Is she also 
to marry? ” 

“ Oh, no, she will not hear of such a thing/’ answered the 
man. 

Boots was delighted to know this, for he had fallen deeply 
in love with the youngest princess himself. 

So he sent word to the king that he should like to add 
to the mirth by showing the guests his three wonderful 
dogs. 

“ Let him come in by all means,” said his majesty, who 
was quite pleased with the idea. 

Boots was taken inside, and the dogs followed close at his 
heels. He raised his flute to his lips and began to play one 
of his merry tunes; but at that instant the youngest prin¬ 
cess recognized him. 

“ Father, father! ” she cried loudly, “ this is our brave res¬ 
cuer; the two foreign princes are impostors, and you must 
not allow them to marry my sisters! ” 

“ Not so fast,” answered his majesty. “ I must see into the 
matter.” 

Then the three princesses between them poured out the 
whole tale of how Boots had delivered them from the clutches 
of the mountain Trolls, and how the two princes had wounded 
him and left him in the forest to die, while they pretended to 
have saved the princesses themselves. 

“ But how do I know that this is the brave lad? ” asked 
the king. “ You may be mistaken.” 

“ Our rescuer,” replied the youngest princess, “ had three 
clever dogs, named Holdfast, Tear, and Quick-ear, and here 
you see the very animals.” 

Of course the king knew then that there could be no mis¬ 
take, and he received Boots very gladly indeed. 

As for the two foreign princes, his majesty banished 

[407] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

them from the kingdom, and nothing more was ever heard 
of them. 

So Boots received the promised reward, and he chose the 
youngest princess for his bride. 

Then the king handed over one half of his kingdom be¬ 
sides, so that Boots was a rich man for the rest of his life. 
And thus ends the story of the Three Dogs. 


[408] 


The Butterfly 

/ N the time of the illustrious Merinous it was indeed 
a pleasure to be a king; the laws were just, the people 
obedient, and peace was over the land. This monarch 
would have been the happiest of men, but for the continual 
complaints of his consort, which tore his very heart in twain. 
She wept continually for her daughters, nineteen of whom had 
perished in the flower of youth. The Fairy of the Fountain 
had promised a twentieth; but years had passed away in fruit¬ 
less expectation. “You have neglected to do the fairy suf¬ 
ficient homage,” said the king one day; “ I shall give orders 
to conduct you to the foot of the mountain with pomp and 
splendor. But when arrived there the mountain itself must 
be climbed on foot, with many fatigues: most women would 
rather die childless than encounter them.” 

“ Courage shall not be wanting on my part,” said the queen, 
“ and I wish to set out immediately.” 

The king kissed her forehead, bade her good-night, and fell 
asleep. 

At early dawn appeared in the grand court of the palace 
an equipage, dazzling as the sun itself; the wheels were of 
massy gold, with emerald nails, which sparkled in the light. 
It was drawn by forty-two horses, white as snow, whose reins 
were of rose-colored satin, the fashion of that period. They 
snorted impatiently, striking fire from the pavement beneath 
their feet; their eyes were inflamed; their bits covered with 
foam; and their proud and triumphant air seemed already to 
announce the success of the queen’s enterprise. Three thou¬ 
sand chevaliers, armed at all points and mounted on fiery 
courses, wheeled about the chariot, the air resounding with 

[409] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

their joyful acclamations of “ Long live King Merinous and 
his august spousel ” 

The queen saluted the people with the utmost grace and 
condescension, which caused such immoderate joy that she was 
almost stifled by the pressure of the crowd: but the guards 
gently kept them at a distance, and the procession passed on. 

When her majesty had reached the foot of the mountain, 
she alighted from her chariot, and, accompanied by only four 
maids-of-honor, proceeded on foot. 

This mountain was formed of slippery earth, slightly cov¬ 
ered over with green turf, but giving way at every step. The 
queen’s pretty little white satin shoes were soon left behind; 
and her feet next stuck so fast that she could not withdraw 
them; her fair hands were in the same plight; she cried aloud 
for succor, fearing she should be completely buried alive. 

Turning then round to look for her maids-of-honor, she 
perceived that they had fallen flat on their faces (the impres¬ 
sion remains till this day), and were struggling, making the 
most desperate efforts, less in consideration of their own dan¬ 
ger than that of the queen. In fine, after four hours and a 
half’s patient perseverance they succeeded in regaining their 
feet; and strange to say, no mud or clay attached itself to their 
clothes; nothing worse than a slight .shade of the green turf, 
which assumed the appearance of a gauze veil. The fairy 
then, seeing the queen willing to overcome difficulties, would 
not try her further, but with one stroke of a wand reduced 
the mountain two or three hundred feet; the remaining height 
was very dry and easy of ascent. 

The queen was thus conducted to a delicious grove: a coral 
fountain rose in the midst; its waters, of the purest rose color, 
wound along the meadow, murmuring plaintive airs, whose 
words were perfectly distinguishable. The fairy there wel¬ 
comed her majesty, who prepared to explain the occasion of 
her journey; but that was quite unnecessary. The fairy, ex¬ 
acting profound secrecy, presented her with a phial of water 
drawn from the fountain, strictly ordering that it should be 
broken when she had drunk it all. The queen, charmed by 

[410] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

this reception, made presents of inestimable value, and rejoined 
her maids-of-honor, who had been thrown into an enchanted 
sleep. They then returned to the palace in such high spirits 
that all the court danced and sung for a month afterward. 

In due course her majesty became, for the twentieth time, a 
joyful mother. 

The magnificence and liberality displayed on this occasion 
exceed belief. The royal palace was surrounded by three hun¬ 
dred large spouts which poured forth alternately, night and 
day, the choicest sweetmeats, confectionery, and money; the 
streets, in fact, were filled—the passengers had only to stoop 
down and be satisfied. 

But in the midst of these festivities the Fairy of the Foun¬ 
tain, uncovering the little princess’ cradle, which was of 
mother-of-pearl studded with diamonds, perceived a beautiful 
butterfly, placed immediately under the infant’s left eye. 

The chief cradle rocker, who dreaded being taxed with neg¬ 
ligence, took a humming-bird’s wing, and endeavored to chase 
it away, but all in vain: it remained quite unconcerned in the 
same spot, extending its large wings of rose color and azure- 
blue on the face of the princess, appearing rather to caress than 
to wish to do her any injury. “Ah!” said the fairy, “this 
butterfly is not what you imagine. It is an enchantress, who 
presides at the birth of the most distinguished princesses, and 
endows them with a degree of levity which generally leads to 
misfortune. I can lessen the evil, without doubt, but I cannot 
entirely avert it.” The queen wept bitterly at this sad news, 
and the king saw no person during eight days. He then ceased 
to think on the subject. 

Misfortunes rarely enter into the speculations of kings. 
Masters of the destinies of others, mankind flatters them into 
a belief that their power can almost control fate itself. Ac¬ 
cordingly, the visit of the butterfly did not produce much per¬ 
manent inquietude. The poets-laureate and literati of the court 
turned it into numerous sentimental conceits; among others, 
that the insect had fastened on the princess’ cheek mistaking 
it for a rose. This idea branched out into a hundred elegies, 

[411 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

a thousand madrigals, and fifteen hundred songs, which were 
sung in all the principal families, and adapted to airs, some 
already known, and others composed for the occasion. 

The fairy frequently visited her little charge, but was unable 
to conquer her fickle disposition. Ten different nurses had 
already been obliged to give her up; she scratched them, bit 
them, and obstinately refused to be fed. When she grew older, 
and began her education, she was so easily wearied and vexed 
that no one dared to contradict her. The fairy was consulted, 
who made her smell at a very rare flower. This produced a 
degree of intelligence so extraordinary that in three days she 
could read, write, speak all languages, and play on every in¬ 
strument after just twenty-three minutes' application. 

The queen was now delighted, for the princess' talents were 
noised abroad equally with her beauty. She had scarcely at¬ 
tained the age of fourteen when many kings sought the honor 
of her hand. The good King Merinous was well stricken in 
years, and fondly desired to see Papillette established. All who 
seemed worthy of her received a favorable reception, and 
among this number was the accomplished Prince Favourite. 
After he had been presented in due form, the old monarch 
asked his daughter what she thought of their new guest. 

“ Sire," replied the maiden, “ I have been brought up with 
too much modesty and reserve to bestow attention on strangers 
of the other sex." 

“ That is true," returned the monarch; “ but merely re¬ 
garding him as a picture, how has he appeared to you ? " 

“ Tall and handsome," answered Papillette, “ his chestnut 
hair clinging in close and crisping curls to his ivory brow; his 
eyes of violet-blue, filled with soft vivacity; his teeth, of the 
most brilliant white, divide lips of coral; his nose is per¬ 
fect Grecian, and his limbs like the rarest statuary. I might 
say more, had I ventured to look at the prince." 

“ It is enough," said the king; “ your first glance has shown 
you enough. I am delighted that you are so sensible of the 
merits of Prince Favourite, as I design him for your husband. 
Love him accordingly." 


[412] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Your majesty’s commands are laws to your dutiful daugh¬ 
ter,” replied Papillette. 

One may easily imagine with what magnificence preparations 
were made for the nuptials; the king hastened them, lest his 
daughter’s fickleness and levity might cause disappointment to 
their dearest hopes. 

Papillette one day, while steadily regarding her lover, who 
was kneeling before her, appeared struck by something which 
made an impression as sudden as disagreeable. She repulsed 
Prince Favourite, saying she was seized with a headache, and 
could not be troubled with company. 

The lover submissively arose and went to seek the queen, 
beseeching her to find out what he had done, and to inter¬ 
cede in his favor. Her majesty accordingly questioned the 
princess, who, bathed in tears, threw herself into the arms of 
her mother, confessing that she had made a discovery which 
totally altered her sentiments regarding the prince. “ Is it pos¬ 
sible,” added she, “ that you have not perceived his ears, of 
so unusual a size, and a deep red color ? ” 

“ Is that all ? ” cried the queen. “ In truth, I have not ob¬ 
served them, but to take notice of an imperfection so very tri¬ 
fling would make us appear ridiculous indeed.” 

“ People cannot help their feelings,” replied Papillette; “ I 
have quite a horror of red ears; it is little worth while to be 
daughter of a great king if one must be crossed and thwarted 
in the most important arrangement of life.” 

The queen reasoned long; but this only increased Papil- 
lette’s resistance: therefore, being quite defenceless against 
the tears of a child so dear, her majesty promised to speak to 
the king. 

Merinous was firm in all his resolutions; he therefore de¬ 
clared that his daughter should become the wife of Prince 
Favourite, whether she liked it or not. 

The queen had not courage to impart this dreadful intel¬ 
ligence ; but she threw herself on the generosity of the prince, 
beseeching that he would himself break the engagement—thus 
shielding Papillette from the resentment of the king. 

[413] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The distracted lover was ready to die with grief: but 
promised to do all she requested. He asked but three days’ 
grace. 

The queen consented; and Prince Favourite then summoned 
Queseca, chief barber to the king. “ Barber,” said he, “ each 
country has its peculiar prejudices—its own ideas of beauty; 
here I find large ears are deemed a deformity; therefore I 
command thee to cut off mine.” 

“ I cannot do it,” replied the barber; “ your royal highness 
has been grossly deceived. I have the honor of shaving the 
first lords of the court, and I know many of them whose ears 
are equally red and ten times as long as those of your royal 
highness. These very lords are among the most distinguished 
favorites of the king.” 

“ I have summoned thee,” replied the prince, “ to operate and 
not to prate; obey my orders, and inflame not my ears still 
further by thy discourse.” 

“ Alas! ” said the barber, “ since your royal highness means 
to sacrifice them to an unreasonable caprice, what signifies it 
whether they are inflamed or not ? ” 

At these words the prince made a threatening gesture; and 
Queseca, no longer daring to resist, took his razor, and with 
a trembling hand separated two of the handsomest ears from 
one of the finest heads in the world: for be it known, that the 
princess only made a pretext of this assertion, because she had 
taken a fancy for somebody else. 

The wounds bled profusely: the prince applied healing balm; 
and when in a condition to appear before her, enclosed his two 
ears in a little box, rare and precious, and presented it to Pa- 
pillette, his heart once more filled with hope and love. 

The princess eagerly opened the beautiful little casket, then 
dashed it with horror to the ground. “ Prince! ” she cried, 
“ what can have induced you to mutilate yourself so cruelly ? 
Could you imagine that I would ever wed a man who sub¬ 
mitted to lose his ears ? ” 

“ Madam,” said the prince, in consternation, “ it was by my 
own order that-” 

[414] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ What a goose you were then! ” cried Papillette. “ If you 
are not willing to become the ridicule of the court, I advise you 
to quit it with the greatest expedition imaginable.” 

The prince dared not call her cruel and ungrateful: he re¬ 
tired to the thickest retreats of a forest, and soon after en¬ 
tirely lost his reason. 

The princess, once more free, confessed that among her nu¬ 
merous suitors there was one whom she preferred; this was 
Prince Malabar, whose martial mien announced the soul of a 
hero. The queen did not deny that Malabar had sought her 
daughter’s hand, even before Favourite aspired to that 
honor, and King Merinous could now no longer insist on a 
marriage with this unfortunate prince, since he was quite in¬ 
sane, and ran naked through the woods, sometimes believing 
himself a hind, sometimes a wolf, and never stopping until 
exhausted by grief and despair. But in consenting to the 
marriage of his daughter with Prince Malabar, the king de¬ 
clared that, should she again change her mind, he would never 
forgive her. 

The happy day was once more fixed, and Papillette, three 
days preceding, invited her lover to meet her in a delightful 
grove at the extremity of the gardens. This grove was 
planted with myrtles, so thick and high that they afforded 
a pleasant shade. Beautiful flowers sprang up on all sides; 
and added to the warblings of the birds in the trees were 
the voices of hidden musicians, singing a chorus, composed 
by the princess herself. This, however, Malabar, who was 
a soldier, and not a musician, and who naturally wished to 
have his lady-love’s society all to himself, did not sufficiently 
appreciate. 

“ Princess,” said he, “ I would much rather hear you talk 
than these people sing.” 

“ Are then those cares despised,” replied Papillette, “ which 
I have so assiduously employed to amuse and gratify you by 
the display of my talents ? ” 

“ Your dearest talent,” cried he, “ is that of pleasing: it 
comprises every other. Send away these people, I pray.” He 

[ 415 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

added in a tone of the utmost irritation, “ I hate—I detest' 
music! ” 

“ Have I rightly heard ? ” exclaimed the princess angrily; 
“ and do you pretend to love, if your soul is insensible to such 
transporting sounds ? ” 

“ I wish they would transport themselves far enough away/’ 
returned the lover, who, like most other lovers, could be in an 
ill humor sometimes. “ My princess, do order this scraping 
and squalling to cease.” 

“ On the contrary, I order my musicians to remain,” an¬ 
swered Papillette, quite indignant, “ and never, never will I 
unite myself to him whom divine melody hath no power to 
move. Go, prince, barbarous alike in taste and science, seek 
some rustic maid, best suited to your insensibility.” 

The musicians, too far distant to hear these words, struck 
up a lively tune. Malabar imagined this done in derision, and 
it required all his respect for the princess to prevent him from 
falling on them, sword in hand. He repented much his words, 
but considered it beneath his dignity to retract them; the prin¬ 
cess also refused to retract hers: so they parted. 

Malabar resolved on instant death. Mounting the noblest 
courser in his stable, he rode down to the sea-coast, and 
plunged himself over a perpendicular cliff into the waters 
below. 

The tide happened to be coming in, so that the body was 
soon washed on shore, and brought before the eyes of the cruel 
princess, laid on a litter formed of willow, hung with draperies 
of black crape. 

She was standing at the window when the melancholy pro¬ 
cession passed, and inquired what it was. None dared answer; 
they only removed the covering from the face of the dead. 
The princess uttered a loud shriek, and fainted away. 

The king and queen lavished on her the most tender cares, 
but all in vain; she declared that she regarded herself as an in¬ 
consolable widow, and insisted upon putting on the deepest 
weeds. 

King Merinous respected this caprice, and ordered twenty 

[ 4 i6] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

thousand yards of crape for her use. She was just giving 
orders to have her apartments festooned with it, and holding 
a cambric handkerchief to her eyes, when a little green ape 
(a drawing-room favorite) dressed itself in weepers, and dis¬ 
posed one of the widow’s caps most tastefully under its chin. 

At this sight the princess burst out laughing so loudly and 
heartily that all the court ladies, who had been trying which 
could pull the longest and most sympathetic countenance, were 
greatly relieved, and began immediately to smile a little. 

Gradually they removed from her eyes the trappings of woe, 
and substituted ribbons of rose color and blue of every shade 
and variety: trying on these so diverted Papillette’s melan¬ 
choly that the poor drowned prince was soon forgotten. Her 
tears indeed were vain; he had already had enough of water. 

The king was in despair. “ Alas! ” said he to the queen, 
“ we shall never have the consolation of marrying Papillette, 
or beholding our grandchildren. Of two monarchs so worthy 
of her, one has lost his reason, the other has cast himself into 
the sea; and while we continue to weep, she, already consoled, 
thinks only of diverting herself! ” 

“ Sire,” replied the queen, “ calm your apprehensions. Our 
daughter is yet too young to feel true love in all its fervor; 
let us have patience, and seek alliance with none but those truly 
worthy of her affections.” 

“ Such is my wish,” replied the king, “ and I begin to turn 
my views upon Prince Patipata; he has seen the portrait of 
Papillette, and is satisfied; but, though a wise and noble mon¬ 
arch, his personal qualifications are little in his favor.” 

“ How so! ” rejoined the queen. 

“ Because he is stiff, tall, and spare; his eyes bleared and 
filmy; his hair red, and so scanty withal, that it seems like a 
few strips of blasted flax hung around a distaff.” 

A few days after this conversation, Prince Patipata arrived 
at court; and the queen did not conceal from Papillette that, 
notwithstanding his personal disadvantages, he was intended 
for her spouse. 

The princess laughed immoderately, yet, just for amusement, 

[417] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

she displayed toward him to perfection all the arts and graces 
of coquetry. 

Prince Patipata having been informed of the deplorable end 
of his predecessors, concealed his love as carefully as the others 
had proclaimed theirs. He was so reserved and cold that the 
princess longed exceedingly to discover the state of his feelings. 
Accordingly, one day, while Patipata was walking with Sal- 
moe, his intimate confidant, she hid herself in the trunk of an 
old tree, which had been hollowed out by lightning, and af¬ 
forded apparently a secure retreat. The prince seated himself 
at the foot of it, but he had observed the princess; and, mak¬ 
ing a sign of intelligence to his companion, feigned to continue 
a conversation of which she was the subject. “Assuredly,” 
said he, “ the princess is very handsome; but flatterers, poets, 
and painters always overstep the truth. Her portrait has de¬ 
ceived me: its large blue eyes bear assuredly some resemblance 
to those of Papillette, but they bespeak an ardent and feeling 
heart, while hers is frivolous, volatile, and incapable of love. 
Her smile would be charming but for its satirical irony. And 
what is the value of the loveliest lips in the world, if they 
open but to deceive and betray! ” 

“ I am much surprised,” replied Salmoe; “ I believed that 
your royal highness was equally loving and beloved.” 

“ Far from it,” returned Patipata; “ it would ill become me, 
plain as I am, to be confident of pleasing; and I am not dupe 
enough to yield my heart without return. Do not you approve 
of this?” 

“ No,” answered Salmoe, “ your royal highness is too mod¬ 
est; I cannot sufficiently appreciate your humility.” 

The prince affected to be dissatisfied with this praise, and 
then moved onward in order to liberate Papillette, who was 
very inconveniently cramped, and almost suffocated with anger. 
Disagreeable truths seldom reach the ear of princesses; her re¬ 
sentment, therefore, was to be expected. Meanwhile, her heart 
being equally as capricious as her understanding, she felt ready 
to pardon, and even, on reflection, to justify Patipata. But 
pride soon combated this weakness; and she determined to 

[418] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

send him away. She complained to her father; assured him 
that by mere chance she had heard the most odious calumnies 
uttered by a prince who sported with their dignity, by falsely 
pretending to the hand of her whom he slighted and despised. 
The king was surprised; but, not having entered into any posi¬ 
tive engagements with Patipata, he readily entered into her 
feelings, and intimated to the prince that his adieus would be 
well received. This Patipata expected; but, although not natu¬ 
rally presumptuous, he had read sufficiently into the heart of 
Papillette to feel some degree of consolation. 

As no decisive explanation of any kind occurred, he was per¬ 
mitted to take leave of the princess. This he did with much 
firmness, while she appeared so much agitated that it was re¬ 
marked by all the court. The men attributed this to hatred; 
but the ladies, who knew better, pronounced it love. They 
were convinced of the fact, when day by day she began to 
pine and refused to eat; and had not the chief cook every day 
invented some new ragout, she would inevitably have died of 
hunger. 

The queen was in despair, and despatched a billet to the 
Fairy of the Fountain, fastening it to the tail of a little white 
mouse, which served as a messenger on this occasion; it was 
perfectly acquainted with the way, and in a few minutes the 
fairy arrived at the palace. The late events were mentioned to 
her, and the melancholy situation of the princess. 

“ I understand this case,” said the fairy; “ but it is necessary 
that Papillette should give me her confidence.” 

The fairy was so amiable and so much beloved by the prin¬ 
cess that she easily yielded; and casting down her eyes, con¬ 
fessed that she loved one who regarded her with contemptuous 
indifference; and what rendered her choice still more degrad¬ 
ing was that its object was as ugly as it was insensible. 

“ I am then to understand,” replied the fairy, “ that you wish 
to be cured of this unfortunate passion ? ” 

“ Alas, no! ” rejoined Papillette, “ for my only pleasure is 
in thinking of him, speaking to him as if he could hear, and 
persuading myself that, notwithstanding appearances, he could 

[ 419 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

have loved me, had he believed my heart capable of steady 
affections. I shall therefore die, leaving him alike ignorant 
of my regrets and my repentance.” 

“ I would not advise you to die,” said the fairy; “ that is 
the only evil in the world without a remedy. But, my dear 
Papillette, what can I do to console you ? ” 

“ Let me see the prince once more, under some metamor¬ 
phosis in which it is impossible for him to recognize me.” 

“ Very well,” replied the fairy. “ But since you wish to risk 
it, and since a simple butterfly can scarcely compromise her 
dignity in following a king, under this form I shall transport 
you to his court.” 

So saying, the Fairy of the Fountain placed on her finger 
a little emerald ring, and the princess distinctly felt her arms 
change their shape—expand—become flexible, and form two 
light wings, clothed in the most brilliant colors. Her tiny feet 
quitted the earth, and as the window was open, she flew out, 
traversing the air, with a degree of rapidity which at first 
caused some sensations of fear. But soon the eager desire of 
seeing Patipata urged her forward, although natural instinct 
so far prevailed as to cause frequent descents to earth, where 
she rested on every tempting flower. 

At length, entering the prince’s gardens, she beheld him 
walking on a terrace watering a beautiful orange-tree. Her 
heart beat so violently that her first emotion was to hide, but, 
soon recovering self-possession, she flew forward and rested 
on a branch which he had just gathered. 

“ What a charming butterfly! ” observed the king to his 
chief gardener. “ Its colors are truly exquisite; I never recol¬ 
lect having seen any such before.” 

“ Some new species, come to do mischief, I suppose,” said 
the gardener, preparing to brush it rudely away. But it took 
refuge on the bosom of the king, with such caressing and 
tender familiarity that only a hard heart could have done it 
injury. 

“Ah, little traitor! ” cried Patipata, “ thou wishest to win me 
by thy fleeting charms, and then escape forever. I already 

[420] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

know too well the pain of loving fickle beings such as thou. 
Yet still I must defend thee, and permit thy return to my 
orange-tree as often as thou desirest.” 

Papillette easily penetrated the thoughts of the prince, and 
although they uttered a reproach for her inconstancy, she fan¬ 
cied they also breathed the language of love; and returned in 
better spirits than usual to her father’s palace, where her ab¬ 
sence had been unobserved. From thenceforward she never 
omitted making use of the emerald ring, which transported her 
in a few moments to her royal lover; she followed him to his 
palace, saw him give audiences, preside in council, and every¬ 
where prove himself just, great, generous, and worthy of all 
her affection. It is true that his eyes were still filmy, his body 
spare, and his hair as red as ever; but what signifies an outside 
casket when containing a priceless jewel within? 

Patipata was determined against marriage; he therefore 
adopted as heir to the crown the son of a cousin, a young 
orphan, whom he purposed bringing up beneath his own 
eye. This prince little resembled his uncle: he had been 
much spoiled in infancy, and it was impossible to improve 
him. One day, while conversing with Patipata, he said: 
“ Sire, I have a favor to ask your majesty, and I pray you 
not to refuse me.” 

“ I shall willingly grant you anything reasonable,” replied 
the king. 

“ It is but your beautiful rose-colored butterfly, which fol¬ 
lows you everywhere.” 

“ And if I were to give it to you, what then?” 

“ I would run this golden pin through its body, and stick 
it to a branch of the orange-tree, to see how long it would 
live. Oh, nothing could be more amusing! ” 

“ Nothing could be more barbarous! ” answered Patipata 
indignantly. “ Go, you inspire me with horror; I banish you 
from my presence during three entire days, and remember, that 
if my butterfly should receive any injury, you shall be pun¬ 
ished with unexampled severity! ” 

The poor butterfly, who had heard this discourse, knew not 
[421 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

how to express its gratitude and joy; it flapped its wings, and 
sported around its benefactor. The king held out his finger, 
and it rested there. “ Thou shalt quit me no more/’ said he. 
“ It is so sweet to be loved, even by a butterfly, that I would 
not willingly prove myself ungrateful: thou shalt feed at my 
table; I will serve thee with the finest fruits, the fairest flowers. 
Ah! if I can only make thee happy! ” 

On the following day Patipata went out hunting. In vain 
Papillette sought him in the park, in the garden, and near the 
favorite orange-tree. But his nephew, taking advantage of his 
absence, began chasing the pretty butterfly. The courtiers 
knew that he would one day be in power, and, eager to gratify 
his whims, assisted in the wanton sport: ministers the most 
pompous, members of council the most profound, climbed on 
trees, and capered through the meadows—one would have 
supposed them mad. But the royal insect, so familiar with the 
king, was for all others the most capricious of butterflies. It 
amused itself in leading the court a long chase, and at length 
rested in the private cabinet of the king, where they never once 
thought of seeking it. 

Papillette, now all alone, could not resist the opportunity af¬ 
forded of looking over a great quantity of'writing which lay 
on the bureau. What was her surprise and joy on there find¬ 
ing verses, the most passionate and tender, which Patipata had 
written in her praise! They indeed revealed that he was proud, 
and would not risk a second refusal; but they vowed to remain 
faithful to her, and never to wed another. 

The princess was so affected that two tiny tears stood 
in her butterfly eyes. Well indeed she might shed them, for 
at this moment the wicked little prince, her enemy, came be¬ 
hind, and seizing her by her two lovely wings, popped her into 
his hat. 

“ Now I have you! ” cried he; and it is impossible to say 
what would have happened had not the king opportunely re¬ 
turned ; when, in taking off his hat to his uncle, he let the but¬ 
terfly go. 

She, recovering from her fright, testified affection by many 
[422] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

little endearments; and Patipata, now accustomed to speak to 
her, exclaimed: “ Beautiful insect, how happy art thou!—thou 
wanderest from flower to flower, without giving the prefer¬ 
ence to any—thou knowest not love—thou hast not found 
ingratitude! I, a king, cannot boast of such happiness. I 
adore the lovely Princess Papillette, and am dismissed from 
her court. I am ugly, it is true; but were I ever so hand¬ 
some, I should not be more fortunate, for I too well know 
her fickle-” 

The butterfly here sighed so deeply that the king started. 

“ Is it possible thou canst feel ? ” said he. “ Oh, if my prin¬ 
cess had but as much sensibility, I would know no other care! 
With her I would live in a hut, far, far from the deceitful 
splendor of a throne.” 

“ The Princess Papillette would willingly accompany you,” 
said a little voice, in tones of the finest and purest melody: 
and the butterfly’s rosy wings blushed deep as crimson. 

“ What a prodigy! ” cried Patipata. “ Ah! butterfly, what 
dost thou know of my Papillette ? ” 

“ Suppose it were herself! ” said a voice, which seemed to 
proceed from a little fountain of rock crystal which stood be¬ 
tween the windows. 

The prince turned round; but instead of the butterfly, he be¬ 
held the Fairy of the Fountain, holding the fair Papillette by 
the hand. They were both encircled by a light rose-colored 
cloud, which shed a softly brilliant light around the apartment. 

Patipata bent one knee to the earth, and kissed the hem of 
the princess’ garment. 

“ Come, prince,” said the fairy, “ King Merinous is apprised 
of what passes here. Papillette has overcome her evil destiny. 
Her affections are fixed and sure; and their object is your¬ 
self. And however ready you may both be to live in a hut 
together, I advise you not to do it. Love is sweeter than roy¬ 
alty, no doubt, but it is not impossible to unite both.” 

The lovers, transported with joy, placed their feet on the 
rose-colored cloud, which instantly carried them to the palace 
of the king. The Fairy of the Fountain, to complete her bene- 

[423] 



MAGIC CASEMENTS 

factions, rendered Patipata as handsome as he was amiable, 
and the nuptials were celebrated with suitable pomp and fes¬ 
tivity. We are informed that Papillette had, at first, some 
slight returns of her natural disposition; but in one year she 
became a mother, and from thenceforward never knew frivolity 
more. 


[ 424] 



Perlino 


VIOLET 


7M /T ANY years ago there lived at Paestum a merchant 
/l/jf by the name of Beppo, who was as good as bread, 
•*- * -L as sweet as honey, and as rich as the sea. He was 
a widower, and had but one daughter, whom he loved like 
his right hand. Violet, for that was the name of this beloved 
child, was as fair as a lily and as blooming as a rose. She 
had long black tresses, eyes as blue as the sky, cheeks as 
velvety as a butterfly’s wing, and lips like a twin cherry. Add 
to this the wit of a demon, the grace of a seraph, the figure 
of Venus, and the fingers of a fairy, and you will under¬ 
stand that neither young nor old could help loving her at 
first sight. 

When Violet was fifteen years old, Beppo began to think 
about marrying her. “ The orange-tree,” thought he, “ brings 
forth its flower without knowing who will gather it, and the 
father watches over his daughter for long years like the apple 
of his eye, only that a stranger may rob him of his treasure 
some fine day without even saying ‘ Thank you.’ Where 
shall I find a husband worthy of my Violet? No matter, she 
is rich enough to choose whom she likes. She is so beauti¬ 
ful and witty that she could tame a tiger should she under¬ 
take it.” 

The good Beppo often tried to talk to his daughter of mar¬ 
riage, but he might as well have flung his words to the wind. 
No sooner had he touched this chord than Violet cast down 

[425] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

her eyes and complained of headache; upon which her poor 
father, more troubled than a monk that loses his memory in 
the midst of his sermon, directly changed the conversation, 
and took from his pocket some gift that he always had in 
store—a ring, a bracelet, or a gold thimble, whereupon Violet 
kissed him, and the sun returned after the shower. 

One day, however, when Beppo, more prudent than usual, 
had begun where he generally ended, and Violet held in her 
hands a necklace so beautiful that it was impossible for her 
to be sulky, the good man returned to the attack. “ Oh, love 
and joy of my heart, staff of my old age, and crown of my 
gray hairs! ” said he, caressing her, “ shall I never see you 
married? Do you not feel that I am growing old? My gray 
beard tells me every day that it is time to choose you a pro¬ 
tector. Why don’t you do like other women? Do you not 
see that they are all dying to marry’? What is a husband?— 
a bird in a cage, that sings whatever tune you please. If 
your poor mother was living, she would tell you that she never 
shed tears on account of not having her way; she was always 
queen and empress at home. I dared not breathe before her 
any more than before you, and I cannot console myself for 
my freedom.” 

“ Father,” said Violet, playfully chucking him under the 
chin, “ you are the master, and it is for you to command. 
Dispose of my hand—make your own choice. I will marry 
when you like and whom you like; I only ask one thing.” 

“ Be it what it may, I will grant it,” cried Beppo, charmed 
at an obedience to which he was not accustomed. 

“Well, father, all that I desire is that my husband shall 
not look like a dog.” 

“ What a childish idea! ” exclaimed Beppo, radiant with 
joy. “ Men are right in saying that beauty and folly go to¬ 
gether. If you did not resemble your mother, could you be 
guilty of such absurdities! Do you believe that a man of 
sense like me—do you believe that the richest merchant in 
Paestum would be stupid enough to accept a son-in-law with 
a dog’s face ? Be easy; I will choose for you, or, rather, you 

[426] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

shall choose the handsomest and most amiable of men. Were 
he a prince, I am rich enough to buy him for you.” 

A few days after, Beppo gave a great dinner, to which he 
invited all the flower of the youth for twenty leagues around. 
The repast was magnificent; the guests ate much and drank 
more; every one was at his ease, and spoke from the fullness 
of his heart. When dessert was served, Beppo withdrew to 
a corner of the room, and, taking Violet on his lap, whispered 
to her: “ My dear child, look at that handsome, blue-eyed 
young man, with his hair parted in the middle. Do you think 
that a woman would be unhappy with such a cherub ?” 

“ Don’t think of it, my dear father! ” said Violet, laughing; 
“ he looks exactly like a greyhound.” 

“ It is true,” cried Beppo, “ he really does look like a grey¬ 
hound. Where were my eyes that I did not see it? But 
that fine-looking captain, with his cropped head, stiff cravat, 
prominent chest, and protruding eyes—there is a man! What 
do you say to him?” 

“ Father, he looks like a bull-dog; I should always be afraid 
that he would bite me.” 

“ It is true, he does look something like a bull-dog,” re¬ 
plied Beppo, sighing. “We will say no more about him. 
Perhaps you would prefer a graver and more mature person. 
If women knew how to choose, they would never take a hus¬ 
band less than forty years old. Under that age, they find 
nothing but fops who suffer themselves to be adored; it is 
not till after forty that a man is really ripe to love and obey. 
What do you say to that counselor of law, who talks so well, 
and who likes so well to hear himself talk? What matter 
his gray hairs! Gray hair is wiser than black.” 

“ Father, you are not keeping your word. You see very 
well that with his red eyes, and his white curls hanging over 
his ears, he looks like a poodle.” 

It was the same with all the guests; not one escaped 
Violet’s tongue. One, who sighed timidly, resembled a Bar¬ 
bary dog; another, with long black hair and caressing eyes, 
had the face of a spaniel. No one was spared. It is said, 

[427] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

indeed, that every man looks like a dog when you put your 
hand under the nose, hiding the mouth and chin. 

“ Violet has too much wit,” thought Beppo; “ I shall never 
do anything with her by reasoning.” Upon this, he pre¬ 
tended to fall into a rage, called her ungrateful, hard-hearted, 
and foolish, and ended by threatening to put her into a con¬ 
vent for the rest of her days. Violet began to cry; he fell 
upon his knees, asked her pardon, and promised never more 
to speak to her of anything that she did not like. The next 
morning he rose, after passing a sleepless night, kissed his 
daughter, thanked her for not having swollen eyes, and 
waited for the wind that turns the weathercocks to blow 
toward his house. This time he was not wrong. With 
women more things happen in an hour than with men in 
ten years; and the saying, “I will never travel this road,” 
was not made for them. 


O 

BIRTH AND BETROTHAL OF PERLINO 

One day, when there was a festival in the suburbs of the 
town, Beppo asked his daughter what he should bring her. 

“ Father,” said she, “ if you love me, buy me half a ton of 
white sugar, and the same quantity of blanched almonds, 
five or six bottles of scented water, a little musk and amber, 
forty pearls, two sapphires, and a handful of garnets and 
rubies; bring me also twenty skeins of gold thread, ten yards 
of green velvet, and a piece of cherry colored silk; and, above 
all things, don’t forget a silver trough and trowel.” 

The merchant was greatly astonished; but he had been too 
good a husband not to know that with women the shortest 
way is not to reason, but to obey, and he returned home at 
night with his mule heavily laden. 

Violet ordered all her gifts to be carried to her chamber; 
then shut herself up, and set about making a paste with the 

[428] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

sugar and almonds, which she moistened with the rose and 
jasmine water. She kneaded the paste in the trough, and 
molded it with her silver trowel, like a potter or a sculptor, 
into the most beautiful young man that ever was seen. She 
made his hair of the gold thread, his eyes of the sapphires, 
his teeth of the pearls, and his tongue and lips of the garnets 
and rubies; after which she dressed him in the silk and vel¬ 
vet, and christened him Perlino, because he was as fair and 
rosy as the mother-of-pearl. 

When she had finished her masterpiece, and stood it on 
the table, Violet clapped her hands, and began to dance about 
Perlino. She sang him the most tender airs, addressed to 
him the sweetest words, and blew him kisses that would have 
warmed a heart of stone, but all in vain—the doll did not stir. 
Violet was beginning to cry for spite, when all at once she 
recollected that she had a fairy for a godmother. What god¬ 
mother, above all when she is a fairy, ever rejects the first 
prayer of her godchild? Violet prayed so long and earnestly 
that her godmother heard her two hundred leagues off, and 
took pity on her. She blew with her lips — it is all that 
fairies need to do to work a miracle—when lo! Perlino 
opened first one eye and then the other, turned his head to 
the right and left, and yawned in the most natural manner 
imaginable; then, while Violet wept and laughed for joy, he 
began to walk slowly, and with mincing steps, across the 
table. 

More delighted than if she had won the kingdom of France 
in a lottery, Violet caught Perlino in her arms, kissed him 
on both cheeks, and sang: 

“ Perlino, my darling, my treasure, my pride, 

Now let us dance, and I’ll be thy bride; 

Now let us dance, now let us sing, 

I will be queen, thou shalt be king. 

Now we are both in the spring-time of life. 

Light of my eyes, I’ll be thy wife, 

To dance and to play 
Through the long day; 

[429] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

This will be life, joyous and gay; 

And if my wish thou dost ever obey, 

The gods will not be 
More happy than we.” 

Beppo, who was taking an account of his goods for the 
second time, dissatisfied at having made only a million of 
dollars in a year, heard the noise overhead. “ Upon my 
word,” he exclaimed, “ there is something strange up-stairs; 
it sounds as if some one were quarreling.” 

He mounted the stairs, and, pushing open the door, saw 
the most beautiful sight in the world. Opposite his daughter, 
flushed with pleasure, stood Cupid in person—Cupid, dressed 
in silk and velvet. With both hands clasped in those of his 
little mistress, Perlino was skipping and dancing, as if he 
were never to stop. 

As soon as Violet perceived her father, she made a low bow, 
and, presenting to him her beloved, said: “ My lord and fa¬ 
ther, you wish to see me married. To obey and please you, 
I have chosen a husband according to my own heart.” 

“ You have done well, my child,” replied Beppo, who read 
the mystery; “all women ought to follow your example. I 
know of more than one who would cut off one of her fingers, 
and not the little one either, to manufacture a husband ac¬ 
cording to her heart, all made of sugar and orange-flower 
water. Give them your secret, and you will dry up many 
tears. For two thousand years they have been complaining, 
and for two thousand years longer they will complain of being 
misunderstood and sacrificed.” Saying this, he embraced his 
daughter, and asked for two days to make ready for the wed¬ 
ding. No less time was needed to invite all their friends 
round about, and to prepare a dinner which would not be un¬ 
worthy of the richest merchant of Psestum. 


[430] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 


III 

THE ABDUCTION OF PERLINO 

To see so novel a marriage, every one came from the whole 
country round; rich and poor, young and old, friends and 
foes, all wished to know Perlino. Unhappily, there seldom is 
a wedding unless some evil genius meddles with it, and Vio¬ 
let’s godmother had not foreseen what would happen. 

Among the invited guests there was a personage of con¬ 
siderable importance—a countess of the neighborhood, by 
the name of the Lady of the Chinking Guineas. She was as 
wicked and as old as well could be, her skin was yellow and 
wrinkled, her eyes haggard, her cheeks hollow, her nose 
hooked, and her chin pointed; but she was rich, so rich that 
every one bowed down to her as she passed, and disputed the 
honor of kissing her hand. Beppo bent to the ground, and 
seated her at his right hand, happy and proud to present his 
daughter and son-in-law to a lady who, having more than a 
hundred millions, did him the favor to eat his dinner. 

During the whole meal the Lady of the Chinking Guineas 
did nothing but gaze at Perlino. Her heart was burning 
with envy. The countess lived in a castle worthy of the fair¬ 
ies, with walls of gold and pavements of silver. In this castle 
there was a gallery in which all the curiosities of the world 
were assembled—a clock that always struck the hour desired; 
an elixir that cured gout and headache; a philter that changed 
sorrow to joy; an arrow of love; the shade of Scipio; the 
heart of a coquette; the religion of a doctor; a stuffed siren; 
three horns of a unicorn; the conscience of a courtier; the 
politeness of a man newly enriched; and the hippogriff of 
Orlando—all things that never had been and never would be 
seen anywhere else. But this treasure lacked one gem— 
this cherub of a Perlino. 

Before dessert arrived the lady had resolved to gain pos- 

[431] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

session of him. She was very avaricious; but what she de¬ 
sired she must have at once, no matter at what price. She 
bought all that was to be sold, and even that which was not 
for sale; all the rest she stole, quite certain that the laws 
were only made for the poor. “ From an ignorant doctor, a 
stubborn mule, and a wicked woman, good Lord, deliver us! ” 
says the proverb. No sooner had they risen from the table 
than she drew near Perlino, who, born only three days before, 
had not yet opened his eyes to the wickedness of the world, 
and told him of all the beauty and riches in the Palace of the 
Chinking Guineas. “ Come with me, my dear little friend,” 
said she, “ and I will give you whatever place you like in my 
palace. Choose; would you rather be a page dressed in gold, 
a chamberlain with a diamond key suspended about your neck, 
or a door-keeper with a silver halberd and a great gold breast¬ 
plate that will make you more brilliant than the sun? Speak 
but a word, and all is yours.” 

The poor innocent was dazzled; but, however short a time 
he had breathed his native air, he was already a Neapolitan, 
that is, the reverse of stupid. 

“ Madam,” answered he ingenuously, “ to work is the trade 
of oxen; there is nothing so healthful as repose. I should 
like a profession in which there was nothing to do and a 
great deal to gain, like the canons of St. Januarius.” 

“ What! ” said the lady of the Chinking Guineas, “ at your 
age, would you already be an idler? ” 

“ Yes, and twice over,” interrupted Perlino, “ so as to earn 
double wages.” 

“ That makes no difference,” returned the countess; “ in 
the mean time, come, and I will show you my carriage, my 
English coachman, and my six gray horses.” She drew him 
toward the door. “ And Violet? ” said Perlino faintly. 
“ Violet is following us,” replied the lady, dragging on the 
imprudent boy, who suffered her to lead him. Once in the 
yard, she showed him her beautiful horses, which were paw¬ 
ing the ground and shaking their nets of red silk hung with 
golden bells; then persuaded him to enter the carriage to try 

[ 432 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the cushions, and look at himself in the mirrors. Suddenly 
she shut the door, the coachman cracked his whip, and off 
they went at full gallop toward the Castle of the Chinking 
Guineas. 

Violet meanwhile was gracefully receiving the congratula¬ 
tions of the assembly. Astonished at not seeing her be¬ 
trothed, who had clung to her like her shadow, she ran 
through all the rooms without finding him; then climbed to 
the top of the house to see if he had not gone there to 
breathe the fresh air, but all in vain. In the distance she 
perceived a cloud of dust, and a coach with six horses going 
at full gallop toward the mountain. There was no more 
doubt; it was carrying off Perlino. At the sight Violet felt 
her heart sink within her. Without thinking that she was 
bareheaded and in bridal attire, with lace dress and satin 
shoes, she rushed from her father’s house and ran after the 
carriage, shouting Perlino’s name, and stretching out her 
arms. She might as well have cried to the winds. The un¬ 
grateful boy was wholly absorbed in the honeyed words of 
his new mistress. He was playing with the rings on her fin¬ 
gers, and dreaming already that the next morning he should 
awaken a prince. Alas! there are older ones than he that are 
no wiser. When do men learn that at home goodness and 
beauty are worth more than riches? When it is too late, 
and they no longer have strength to break the chains that 
they have put on their own hands. 


IV 

NIGHT AND DAY 

Poor Violet ran all day long after Perlino; ditches, brooks, 
thickets, briers, thorns, nothing stopped her. He who suffers 
for love feels no pain. When evening came she found her¬ 
self in a dark forest, overpowered with fatigue and half dead 

[ 433 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

with hunger, her hands and feet covered with blood. Seized 
with terror, she looked around her; a thousand faces seemed 
to glare threateningly from the darkness. She threw herself 
trembling at the foot of a tree, calling on Perlino, in a low 
voice, to bid him a last farewell. 

As she held her breath, so frightened that she dared not 
move, she heard the trees about her talking together. It is 
the privilege of innocence to understand all the creatures of 
God. “ Neighbor,” said a carob-tree to a hollow olive-tree, 
“ that young girl is very imprudent to lie on the ground. In 
an hour the wolves will quit their den, and if they spare her, 
the morning dew and cold will give her a fever from which 
she will never recover. Why doesn’t she climb among my 
branches? She could sleep there in peace, and I would wil¬ 
lingly give her some of my pods to recruit her exhausted 
strength.” 

“You are right, neighbor,” answered the olive-tree. “The 
child would do still better if, before going to sleep, she should 
put her hand into my trunk, where the bagpipe and clothes of 
a piper are hidden. A goat-skin is not to be despised as a 
protection from the cold night air; and a lace dress and satin 
shoes are a light costume for a girl to roam the world in.” 

Violet was reassured when she had found the coarse jacket, 
goat-skin cloak, pointed hat, and bagpipe of the piper. She 
bravely climbed the carob-tree, ate its sugared fruit, drank the 
evening dew, and, wrapping herself up warmly, lay down 
among the branches as well as she could. The tree clasped 
its paternal arms about her, the wood-pigeons left their nests 
to cover her with leaves, the wind rocked her like an infant, 
and she fell asleep thinking of her beloved. 

On waking the next morning she was filled with terror. 
The weather was calm and beautiful, but in the silence of the 
woods the poor child felt her solitude more deeply than ever. 
Every thing was living and loving around her; and who 
thought of the poor forsaken one? She began to sing in or¬ 
der to call to her aid all that passed by without looking at 
her; but the wind swept on murmuring, the bee set out in 

[434] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

search of his booty, the swallows chased the flies high in the 
air, the birds chirped and sang to each other in the foliage, 
and no one troubled himself about Violet. She descended 
from the tree with a sigh, and marched straight forward, trust¬ 
ing to her heart to find Perlino. 


V 

THE THREE FRIENDS 

A torrent fell from the mountain, the bed of which was 
partly dried up. Violet followed this road. The red laurels 
were already springing from the water, their branches covered 
with flowers. Violet plunged among the verdure, followed by 
the butterflies, fluttering around her as around a lily shaken 
by the wind. She walked faster than an exile returning home; 
but the heat was intense, and before noon she was forced 
to stop. 

On approaching a pool of water to cool her burning feet, 
she saw a drowning bee. She extended her tiny foot, and the 
insect climbed on it. Once dry, the bee remained for some 
time motionless as if to regain breath; then it shook its damp 
wings, and, passing over its whole body its foot softer than 
silk, it dried and polished itself, and, taking flight, buzzed 
around her who had saved its life. 

“ Violet,” it said, “ you have not obliged an ingrate. I 
know where you are going; let me go with you. When I am 
tired, I will rest on your head. If ever you are in need of 
me, only say 

44 4 Nebuchadnezzar, hark and behold, 

The peace of the heart is better than gold/ 

and perhaps I can serve you.” 

“ Ah ! ” said Violet, “ I never can say * Nebuchadnezzar * ” 

“ What do you want ? ” asked the bee. 

[435 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“Nothing, nothing/’ replied Violet; “ I shall not need you 
till I reach Perlino.” 

She set out again on the way with a lighter heart. In a 
few minutes she heard a faint cry; it was a white mouse that 
had been wounded by a hedgehog, and had escaped its enemy 
covered with blood, and half dead. Violet took pity on the 
poor animal. Notwithstanding her haste, she stopped to 
wash its wounds, and to give it one of the carob-pods which 
she had kept for her breakfast. 

“ Violet,” said the mouse, “ you have not obliged an in¬ 
grate. I know where you are going. Put me into your 
pocket with the rest of your carob-pods. If ever you are in 
need of me, only say 

“ ‘ Tricche, verlacche, 

Coat of gold and heart of a lackey, 

and perhaps I can serve you.” 

Violet slipped the mouse into her pocket, that it might 
nibble there at its ease, and continued to ascend the torrent. 
Toward dusk she approached the mountain, when sud¬ 
denly a squirrel fell at her feet, pursued by a frightful screech- 
owl. Violet was not timid. She struck the owl with her bag¬ 
pipe, and put it to flight, then picked up the squirrel, which 
was more stunned than hurt by its fall, and brought it to life 
by dint of care. 

“Violet,” said the squirrel, “you have not obliged an in¬ 
grate. I know where you are going. Put me on your shoul¬ 
der, and pick some nuts for me, that I may not let my teeth 
grow long for want of something to do. If ever you are in 
need of me, only say 

“ * Patita, Patite, 

Look well and you’ll see,’ 

and perhaps I can serve you.” 

Violet was somewhat astonished at these three encounters. 
She relied little on this gratitude in words; what could such 
weak friends do for her? “No matter,” thought she, “it is 

[436] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

always right to do good; let what will happen, I have had 
pity on the unfortunate.” No sooner had she said this than 
the moon came out from a cloud, and its pale light fell on the 
old Castle of the Chinking Guineas. 


VI 

THE CASTLE OF THE CHINKING GUINEAS 

The sight of the castle was not calculated to reassure her. 
On the top of a mountain, which was nothing but a mass 
of crumbling rocks, she saw battlements of gold, turrets of 
silver, and roofs of sapphire and ruby, surrounded with great 
ditches full of greenish water, and defended by drawbridges, 
portcullises, parapets, enormous bars, and loopholes from 
which protruded the throats of cannon, and all the parapher¬ 
nalia of war and murder. The beautiful palace was nothing 
but a prison. Violet painfully climbed a winding path, and 
finally reached a narrow passage, which led to an iron door 
furnished with a huge lock. She called without receiving an 
answer; then pulled a bell, upon which a jailer appeared, 
blacker and uglier than Cerberus. 

“Begone, beggar!” he cried, “or I will knock you down. 
There is no lodging for the poor here. In the Castle of the 
Chinking Guineas we give alms only to those that do not 
need them.” 

Poor Violet turned away weeping. “ Courage,” said the 
squirrel, cracking a nut; “ play your bagpipe.” 

“ I never played in my life,” answered Violet. 

“ The more reason for doing so,” replied the squirrel. 
“•So long as you have not tried to do a thing, you don’t 
know whether you can do it or not. Blow! ” 

Violet began to blow with all her might, moving her fingers 
and singing in the instrument, when behold! the pipes filled, 
and played a tarantella that would have caused the dead to 

[437] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

dance. At the sound the squirrel leaped to the ground, and 
the mouse did not stay behind. They skipped and danced 
like true Neapolitans, while the bee buzzed and whirled 
around them. It was a sight well worth paying for. 

At the sound of this sweet music the black shutters of the 
castle were quickly seen to open. The Lady of the Chinking 
Guineas had her maids of honor, who were not sorry to look 
out from time to time to see whether the flies always buzzed 
the same way. It was in vain not to be curious; it was not 
every day that they heard a tarantella played by such a hand¬ 
some shepherd as Violet. 

“ Boy,” cried one, “ come this way! ” 

“ No,” called another, “ come on my side.” And they all 
smiled on him, but the door remained shut. 

“ Ladies,” said Violet, taking off her hat, “ be as good as, 
you are beautiful. I have been overtaken by night in the 
mountain, and have neither lodging nor supper. Give me a 
corner in the stable and a crust of bread, and I and my little 
dancers will amuse you all the evening.” 

The regulations were strict in the Castle of the Chinking 
Guineas. There was such fear of robbers that no one was 
admitted after dusk. The ladies knew this well; but in an 
honest household there is always a hangman’s rope to be 
found. One end was thrown out of the window; in an in¬ 
stant Violet was hoisted into a large chamber, with all her 
menagerie, and there she was forced to blow, and sing, and 
dance for long hours without being permitted to open her 
mouth to ask after Perlino. No matter, she was happy in 
feeling herself under the same roof with him, and it seemed 
to her that at this moment the heart of her beloved must be 
beating like her own. The innocent child believed that it 
was only necessary to love in order to be loved. Her dreams 
that night were sweet ones. 


[438] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 


VII 

NEBUCHADNEZZAR 

Early the next morning, Violet, who had slept in the barn, 
clambered on the roof and looked about her; but her eyes 
wandered in vain in all directions; she saw nothing but grated 
towers and solitary gardens. She burst into tears, in spite of 
all the efforts of her three little friends to comfort her. 

In the courtyard, all paved with silver, she found the maids 
of honor seated in a circle, spinning gold and silver flax on 
their distaffs. “ Begone!” they exclaimed, as soon as they 
saw her; “ if the countess should see your rags, she would 
turn us all out of doors. Begone! vile piper, and never re¬ 
turn; unless, indeed, you should become a prince or a banker.” 

“ Oh, do not send me away so soon, fair ladies,” replied 
Violet; “ let me wait on you; I will be so good and so obedi¬ 
ent that you will never regret having let me stay.” 

The first maid of honor, a tall, thin, wrinkled, yellow, and 
sharp-featured woman, rose, and, for her sole answer, mo¬ 
tioned the little shepherd to the door, and called the jailer, 
who advanced, frowning and brandishing his pike. 

“ I am lost! ” exclaimed the poor girl; “ I shall never more 
see my Perlino!” 

“ Violet,” said the squirrel gravely, “ gold is tried in the 
furnace, and friends in misfortune.” 

“You are right!” exclaimed Violet. 

“ * Nebuchadnezzar, hark and behold, 

The peace of the heart is better than gold! * ” 

The bee instantly flew in the air, and behold! a beautiful 
crystal coach, with ruby shafts and emerald wheels, suddenly 
appeared in the courtyard. The equipage was drawn by 
four black dogs the size of rats. Four large beetles, dressed 
as jockeys, guided the tiny steeds with a light hand. At the 

[439] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

back of the carriage, luxuriously reclining on cushions of blue 
satin, was stretched a young woodpecker, dressed in a little 
rose-colored bonnet and a heavy brocade robe, so full that it 
fell over the wheels. The lady held a fan in one hand, and a 
smelling-bottle, and a handkerchief embroidered with her 
arms and trimmed with broad lace, in the other. By her 
side, half buried under the silken folds, was an owl, with 
languid air, listless eye, and bald head, and so old that his 
beak lapped like a pair of dislocated scissors. They were a 
new-married couple who were making their wedding-calls—a 
fashionable establishment, such as the Lady of the Chinking 
Guineas adored. 

At the sight of this masterpiece, a cry of admiration and 
joy awakened all the echoes of the palace. The jailer let fall 
his pike with astonishment, while the ladies ran after the 
carriage and four spaniels, which set off at full gallop as if 
they were carrying the king in person. The strange noise 
disturbed the Lady of the Chinking Guineas, who was in con¬ 
stant fear of being robbed. She ran thither furious, resolved 
to turn all her maids of honor out of doors. She paid to be 
respected, and was determined to have the worth of her 
money. But when she perceived the equipage—when the owl 
saluted her with a sign of his beak, and the woodpecker 
waved her handkerchief three times with charming noncha¬ 
lance, the lady's anger vanished in smoke. 

“ I must have this! ” cried she. “ What is the price of it? " 

The countess' voice frightened Violet, but the love of Per- 
lino gave her courage. She replied that, poor as she was, 
she loved her fancy better than all the gold in the world, and 
that she prized her carriage, and would not sell it for the 
Castle of the Chinking Guineas. 

“ Oh, the foolish vanity of beggars!" muttered the lady. 
“ Truly, none but the rich have a holy respect for gold, and 
are ready to do anything for a dollar. I must have this car¬ 
riage," added she, in a threatening tone; “ cost what it may, 
I will have it." 

“ Madam," said Violet, greatly excited, “ it is true that I 
[ 440 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

will not sell it, but I shall be happy to offer it to your lady¬ 
ship as a gift if you will grant me one favor.” 

“It will be dear,” thought the countess. “Speak!” said 
she to Violet; “ what do you want? ” 

“ Madam,” replied Violet, trembling, “ it is said that you 
have a museum in which all the curiosities of the world are 
collected. Show them to me; if there is anything there more 
wonderful than this carriage, my treasure is yours.” 

For her sole answer, the Lady of the Chinking Guineas 
shrugged her shoulders, and led Violet to a great gallery, the 
like of which had never been seen. She showed her all her 
riches—a star fallen from heaven; a necklace made of a moon¬ 
beam, plaited in three strands; black lilies; green roses; an 
eternal love; fire that did not burn, and many other curiosi¬ 
ties; but she did not show the only thing that would have 
moved Violet—Perlino was not there. 

The countess vainly sought admiration and astonishment 
in the eyes of the little shepherd; she read nothing there but 
indifference. “ Well,” said she, “ all these marvels are far 
more wonderful than your four puppies; the carriage is mine.” 

“No, madam,” said Violet; “all these things are dead, 
and my curiosities are living. You cannot compare sticks 
and stones to my owl and woodpecker—personages so real 
and natural that it seems as if you had just met them in the 
street. Art is nothing compared with life.” 

“ Is that all ? ” said the countess. “ I will show you a little 
man made of sugar and almond paste, who sings like a night¬ 
ingale and reasons like a professor.” 

“Perlino!” cried Violet. 

“ Ah! ” said the Lady of the Chinking Guineas, “ my maids 
of honor have been chattering.” She looked at the piper with 
the instinct of fear. “ On reflection,” she added, “ I do not 
want your child’s toys—begone!” 

“ Madam,” said Violet, trembling, “ let me speak to this 
miracle of a Perlino, and take the carriage.” 

“ No,” said the countess, “ begone! and take your animals 
with you.” 


[441 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Only let me see Perlino.” 

“ No, no! ” replied the lady. 

“ Only let me sleep a night at his door/’ resumed Violet, in 
tears. “ See what a jewel you are refusing! ” she added, bend¬ 
ing on one knee, and offering the carriage to the Lady of the 
Chinking Guineas. 

At the sight the countess hesitated, then smiled; in an in¬ 
stant she had found the means of deceiving Violet and obtain¬ 
ing what she coveted for nothing. “ It is a bargain,” said 
she, seizing the carriage; “ you shall sleep to-night at Perlino’s 
door, and shall even see him; but I forbid you to speak to 
him.” 

The evening come, the Lady of the Chinking Guineas sent 
for Perlino to sup with her. When she had made him eat 
and drink heartily, which was an easy thing with a youth of a 
yielding disposition, she poured out some excellent wine into 
a gilt cup, and, taking a crystal box from her pocket, took 
from it a reddish powder, which she threw into the wine. 
“ Drink this, my child,” said she to Perlino, “ and tell me how 
you like it.” 

Perlino, who did whatever he was bid, swallowed the liquor 
at a single draught. 

“ Pah! ” cried he, “ this drink is detestable; it smells of 
blood and wine; it is poison! ” 

“ Foolish fellow! ” replied the countess, “ it is potable gold; 
whoever has drunk it once will drink it always. Take an¬ 
other glass,” she added; “you will find it better than the 
first.” 

The lady was right. Scarcely had the child emptied the 
cup, when he was seized with a raging thirst. “ More! more! ” 
he cried. He would not quit the table; and, to persuade him 
to go to bed, the countess was obliged to make him a great 
paper cornet of this marvelous powder, which he put carefully 
into his pocket as a remedy for all evils. 

Poor Perlino! it was indeed a poison, and the most terrible 
of poisons, that he had taken. Whoever drinks potable gold 
feels his heart frozen the instant the liquid enters his stomach. 

[ 442 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

He neither knows nor loves anything thenceforth, neither 
father, nor mother, nor wife, nor children, nor friends, nor 
country; he thinks only of himself, and wishes to drink, and 
would drink all the gold and blood of the world without 
quenching a thirst that nothing could satisfy. 

Meanwhile, what was Violet doing? The time seemed as 
long to her as a day without bread to the poor. As soon as 
night put on her black mask to open the starry ball, Violet 
ran to Perlino’s door, quite sure that on seeing her he 
would throw himself into her arms. How her heart beat 
when she heard him coming up the stairs! and what was 
her sorrow when the ingrate passed by without even looking 
at her! 

The door closed and doubled locked, and the key taken out, 
Violet threw herself on a mat that had been given her through 
pity, and, bursting into tears, covered her face with her hands 
to stifle her sobs. She did not dare to complain for fear of 
being driven away; but when the hour came in which the 
stars alone had their eyes open, she scratched gently on the 
door, and sang to Perlino in a low voice: 

“ Dost thou hear me, Perlino? 

’Tis I who would free thee: 

Open quickly to me, 

Lest I die ere I see thee. 

I tremble, I shiver, I sigh, 

Since thou, love, no longer art nigh. 

Night or day, 

Since thou art away, 

I no more am glad or gay." 

Alas! it was in vain. Nothing stirred in the room. Per¬ 
lino was snoring, and dreaming only of his gold dust. The 
hours dragged slowly along, bringing no hope. But, how¬ 
ever long and painful the night, the morning was still sad¬ 
der. The Lady of the Chinking Guineas appeared at day¬ 
break. “ Are you satisfied, handsome piper?” said she, with 
a malicious smile. “The carriage is paid for at your own 
price.” 


[443] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ May you have such contentment all the days of your life! ” 
murmured poor Violet. “ I have passed such a wretched night 
that I shall not soon forget it.” 


VIII 

TRICCHE, VERLACCHE 

Violet retired sadly. Her hopes were vanished, and noth¬ 
ing was left for her but to return to her father’s house, and 
forget him who no longer loved her. She crossed the court¬ 
yard, followed by the maids of honor jeering at her simplicity. 
On reaching the gate, she turned to take a last look. Seeing 
herself alone, she burst into tears, and hid her face in her 
hands. 

“ Begone, beggar! ” cried the jailer, seizing her by the col¬ 
lar, and shaking her with an air of importance. 

“ Begone! ” said Violet; “ never! 

“ ‘ Tricche, Verlacche, 

Coat of gold and heart of a lackey,’ ” 

cried she. 

And behold! the mouse sprang at the jailer’s face and bit 
it till it bled; then an immense bird-cage, as large as a Chinese 
pavilion, rose up before the gate. The bars were of silver, 
and the seed-cups of diamonds, with pearls for hemp-seed, 
and guineas, strung on ribbons of all colors, for cuttlefish. In 
this magnificent cage, on a swinging ladder that turned with 
the wind, hopped and twittered thousands of birds of all sizes 
and countries—humming-birds, parrots, cardinal-birds, linnets, 
canaries, and every other species. All this feathered world 
was warbling the same song, each in his jargon. Violet, who 
understood the language of birds as well as that of plants, 
translated it for the benefit of the maids of honor, who were 
greatly astonished to find such rare prudence among canaries. 
The chorus ran as follows: 

[444] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Freedom is folly, 

Hurrah for the cage! 

Whoever is sage 
Will come hither to stay, 

To eat, and to drink, and be jolly, 

Where, for all these delights, 

He has only to pay 
By warbling a lay. 

Freedom is folly, 

Hurrah for the cage! ” 

A deep silence followed these joyful cries. Then an old 
red and green parrot, with a grave and serious air, raised one 
claw, and, swinging on his perch, sang in a nasal tone, or rather 
croaked, this solo: 

“ The nightingale in black vest, 

Who never comes out of his nest 
Till the sun has gone down in the west, 

To sing to his mistress the moon, 

Is a fellow unpleasant to see. 

He is proud as a king, though he lives 
Like a beggar, yet still he believes 
No bird is so happy as he. 

Then his voice—what a bore! 

We should, entre nous, 

Without more ado, 

Hang all such fools who 
Good fortune refuse to adore.” 

And all the birds, ravished with his eloquence, began to whis¬ 
tle in shrill tones: 


“ Freedom is folly, 

Hurrah for the cage ! ” 

As the maids of honor were crowding round the magic 
bird-cage, the Lady of the Chinking Guineas appeared, and it 
may be believed that she was not the last to covet this mar¬ 
vel. “ Child/’ said she to the piper, “ will you sell me this 
cage at the same price as the carriage ? ” 

[445 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Willingly, madam/’ answered Violet, who had no other 
desire. 

“ It is a bargain,” said the lady. “ None but beggars would 
be guilty of such follies.” 

The night did not differ from the preceding one. Perlino, 
drunk with the potable gold, entered his chamber without 
even raising his eyes; and Violet threw herself on her mat, 
more wretched than ever. She sang as on the first night, and 
shed tears that would have melted a heart of stone, but all in 
vain. Perlino slept like a dethroned king, and the sobs of 
his mistress lulled him like the murmurs of the winds and 
waves. Toward midnight, Violet’s three friends, grieved at 
her sorrow, held council. “ It is not natural that he should 
sleep in this way,” said the squirrel. “ We must go in and 
wake him,” said the mouse. “ But how shall we get in ? ” said 
the bee, who had been vainly seeking a crack in the wall. 
“ That is my business,” said the mouse. And he quickly 
gnawed a little hole in the door large enough for the bee to 
glide into the room where Perlino lay asleep on his back, 
snoring. Angry at this calmness, the bee stung him on the 
lip; he sighed, and struck his cheek a blow, but did not wake. 

“ He has been put to sleep,” said the bee, returning. “ There 
is magic in it. What shall we do ? ” 

“ Wait! ” said the mouse, who had not let his teeth rust. 
“ It is my turn to go into the room. I will awaken him, should 
I eat his heart out.” 

“ No, no,” said Violet, “ I will not have my Perlino hurt.” 

The mouse was already in the room. To jump on the bed 
and creep under the coverlid was play for the cousin of the 
rats. He went straight to Perlino’s breast, but before mak¬ 
ing a hole in it he listened. The heart did not beat; there was 
no more doubt—Perlino was enchanted. 

Just as the mouse brought back this news, day broke, and 
the lady appeared, smiling maliciously. Violet, furious at 
having been played with, gnawed her fingers in anger. She 
nevertheless made a low courtesy to the countess, saying to 
herself, “ To-morrow I will have my revenge.” 

[446] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 


IX 

PATITA, PATITE 

This time Violet went down to the courtyard with more 
courage; her hope had revived. As on the day before, she 
found the maids of honor there still spinning on their distaffs. 
“ Come, handsome piper,” they cried, laughing, “ what have 
you to show us now ? ” 

“ Something that will please you, fair ladies,” answered 
Violet. 

“ ‘ Patita, Patite, 

Look well and you’ll see.’ ” 

The squirrel threw one of his nuts on the ground, and a 
puppet-show instantly appeared. The curtain rose. The scene 
represented a court of justice. At the upper end of the room, 
on a throne hung with red velvet spangled with stars, sat the 
judge, a huge cat of respectable appearance, notwithstanding 
a few crumbs of cheese that remained on his long whiskers. 
Buried in contemplation, with his hands crossed under his long 
sleeves and his eyes closed, you would have thought him sleep¬ 
ing, if justice ever slumbered in the kingdom of cats. 

On the side was a wooden bench, on which were chained 
three mice, whose teeth had been filed and ears cut off by way 
of precaution. They were suspected, which at Naples means 
convicted, of having looked too closely at a rind of musty 
bacon. Opposite the culprits was a canopy of black cloth, on 
which was inscribed, in letters of gold, the sentence of the great 
poet and magician, Virgil, 

“ CRUSH THE MICE, BUT SPARE THE CATS ” 

Under the canopy stood the public prosecutor, a weasel 
with a receding forehead, red eyes, and pointed tongue, who, 

[447] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

with one hand on his heart, was eloquently demanding that 
the law should condemn the mice to the gallows. His words 
flowed like a silvery fountain; he prayed for the death of these 
wretched little animals in so tender and pathetic a voice that 
one became indignant at their obduracy. They seemed wholly 
lacking in their duty in not themselves offering their guilty 
heads to calm the feelings and dry the tears of this excellent 
weasel, whose voice was choked with such emotion. 

When the prosecutor had finished his touching speech, a 
young rat, scarcely weaned, rose to defend the culprits. He 
had just adjusted his spectacles, taken off his cap, and turned 
down his sleeves, when the cat, through respect for free de¬ 
fense and for the interest of the accused, forbade him to speak; 
after which, in a solemn voice. Master Grimalkin soundly rated 
the accused, witnesses, society, heaven, earth, and rats. Then, 
putting on his cap, he pronounced an avenging sentence, con¬ 
demning these guilty animals to be hung and flayed on the 
spot, their goods to be confiscated, their memory to be branded, 
and themselves to pay the costs of the suit; imprisonment for 
debt being limited, however, to five yeaJrs, as it was necessary 
to be humane even to villains. 

The farce played, the curtain fell. 

“ How natural it is!” cried the Lady of the Chinking 
Guineas. “ It is the justice of cats copied to the life. Shep¬ 
herd or sorcerer, whatever you may be, sell me your star 
chamber.” 

“ At the same price, madam,” answered Violet. 

“ You shall sleep here to-night,” returned the countess. 

“ Yes, madam,” replied Violet; adding to herself, “ May you 
repay me for all the harm you have done me! ” 

While the comedy was being played in the courtyard, the 
squirrel had not wasted his time. By dint of climbing over 
the roofs, he had finally discovered Perlino eating figs in the 
garden. From the roof it was an easy matter to leap to a tree, 
and from the tree to a thicket, until he at length reached Per¬ 
lino, who was playing morra with his shadow, a sure way of 
always winning. To play morra, one player holds up one or 

[ 448 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

more fingers, and the other bets at the same instant how many 
he will hold up. 

“ My friend,” said the squirrel, “ solitude has its charms; 
but you do not look as if playing alone amused you much; 
suppose we have a game together.” 

“ Bah! ” said Perlino, “ your fingers are too short, and you 
are nothing but an animal.” 

“ Short fingers are not always a fault,” replied the squirrel; 
“ I have seen more than one man hung whose only crime was 
that of having them too long; and if I am an animal, Master 
Perlino, at least I am a wide-awake animal. That is better 
than having so much wit and sleeping like a dormouse. If 
Happiness ever knocks at my door in the night, at least I shall 
be up to let it in.” 

“ Speak clearly,” said Perlino. “ Something strange has been 
the matter with me for the last two days. My head is heavy 
and my heart sorrowful, and I have horrible dreams. What 
is the reason ? ” 

“ Guess! ” said the squirrel. “ Do not drink and you will 
not sleep; do not sleep and you will see many things. A word 
to the wise is sufficient.” Saying this, he sprang on a branch 
and disappeared. 

Since Perlino had lived in retirement, reason had come to 
him. Nothing makes one so wicked as being dull in company; 
nothing makes one so wise as being dull alone. At supper 
he studied the face and smile of the Lady of the Chinking 
Guineas. He seemed as gay as usual, but every time that she 
gave him the cup of forgetfulness, he went to the window, pre¬ 
tending to admire the beauty of the evening, and threw the 
gold into the garden, where it fell, it is said, on some white 
beetles that were burrowing in the ground, and from that time 
the cockchafers have been golden. 


[ 449 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 


X 

THE RECOGNITION 

On entering his room, Perlino noticed the piper looking at 
him mournfully, but he did not stop for any questions, such 
was his haste to be alone to see whether happiness would knock 
at his door, and in what form it would come. His anxiety was 
not of long duration. He was not yet in bed when he heard 
Violet’s sweet and plaintive voice, reminding him, in the most 
tender terms, how she had molded and made him with her 
own hands; how it was to her prayers that he owed his life; 
how, notwithstanding, he had suffered himself to be seduced 
and carried off; and how she had pursued him with such toil 
and pains. Violet also told him, in still more touching accents, 
how she had watched for the last two nights at his door, and, 
to obtain this favor, had given away treasures worthy of a 
king without obtaining a single word from him; and how this 
night was the end of her hopes and life. 

On listening to these words, which pierced his soul, it seemed 
to Perlino that he had awakened from a dream, and that a 
cloud fell from his eyes. He opened the door, and softly called 
Violet, who threw herself into his arms weeping. He at¬ 
tempted to speak, but she stopped him. We always believe 
those we love, and there are moments when we are too happy 
for anything but tears. 

“ Let us go,” said Perlino; “ let us quit this hateful dun¬ 
geon.” 

“ To go is not so easy, Master Perlino,” answered the squir¬ 
rel ; “ the Lady of the Chinking Guineas does not willingly 
let go of what she has in her clutches. We have exhausted all 
our gifts in awakening you, and to save you a miracle is 
needed.” 

“ Perhaps I have a means,” said Perlino, whose wit grew 
as the sap rises in the trees in springtime. 

[ 450 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

He took the cornet which contained the magic powder, and 
made his way to the stable, followed by Violet and the three 
friends, saddled the best horse, and, walking softly, reached 
the gate where the jailer was sleeping, his keys in his belt. 
At the sound of footsteps the man awoke and started up. Be¬ 
fore he had time to open his mouth, Perlino poured the potable 
gold down his throat, at the risk of suffocating him; but, in¬ 
stead of complaining, he began to smile, and fell back in his 
chair, closing his eyes, and stretching out his hands for more. 
To seize the bunch of keys, open the gate, shut it again, 
triple lock it, and throw the keys of perdition into the ditch 
to imprison covetousness forever, was the work of an instant. 
Unhappily, Perlino forgot the keyhole, which left room enough 
for it to escape, and invade the human heart anew. 

At length they were free and on the road homeward, both 
mounted on the same horse, Perlino in front and Violet behind . 1 
She wound her arm round the neck of her beloved, and clasped 
him to her, to be sure that his heart was still beating. Perlino 
continually turned his head to see the face of his dear Violet, 
and to behold that smile which he was in constant fear of los¬ 
ing. Fear and prudence were forgotten; and if the squirrel 
had not more than once caught the reins to keep the horse from 
stumbling or going astray, who knows but the travelers would 
still be on the road? 

I leave you to imagine the joy of Beppo at recovering-his 
daughter and son-in-law. He seemed the youngest of the 
household. He laughed all day long without knowing why, 
and wished to dance with everybody. He lost his senses to 
such a degree that he doubled the salaries of his clerks and 
settled a pension on his cashier, who had served him only 
thirty-six years. Nothing blinds us like happiness. The wed¬ 
ding was magnificent, but this time they took care to try their 
friends. The bees came from twenty leagues round, bringing 
a beautiful cake of honey, and the ball ended with a tarantella 
of mice and a schottische of squirrels, which was long talked of 
in Paestum. When the sun drove away the guests, Violet and 
Perlino kept on dancing, and nothing could stop them. Beppo, 

1 451 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

who was wiser, made a fine speech to show them that they were 
no longer children, and that people do not marry for amuse¬ 
ment. They threw themselves into his arms, laughing. A 
father’s heart is always weak; he took them by the hand, and 
danced with them till evening. 


Princess Rosette 


^^vNCE upon a time there lived a king and queen who had 
f J two beautiful sons and one little daughter, who was so 
pretty that no one who saw her could help loving her. 
When it was time for the christening of the princess, the queen 
—as she always did—sent for all the fairies to be present at 
the ceremony, and afterward invited them to a splendid ban¬ 
quet. 

When it was over, and they were preparing to go away, the 
queen said to them: 

“ Do not forget your usual good custom. Tell me what is 
going to happen to Rosette,” for that was the name they had 
given to the princess. 

But the fairies said they had left their book of magic at 
home, and they would come another day and tell her. 

“ Ah! ” said the queen, “ I know very well what that means 
—you have nothing good to say; but at least I beg that you 
will not hide anything from me.” 

So, after a great deal of persuasion, they said: 

“ Madam, we fear that Rosette may be the cause of great 
misfortunes to her brothers; they may even meet with their 
death through her; that is all we have been able to foresee 
about your dear little daughter. We are very sorry to have 
nothing better to tell you.” 

Then they went away, leaving the queen very sad, so sad 
that the king noticed it, and asked her what was the matter. 

The queen said that she had been sitting too near the fire, 
and had burned all the flax that was upon her distaff. 

“ Oh! is that all ? ” said the king, and he went up into the 
garret and brought her down more flax than she could spin 

[453] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

in a hundred years. But the queen still looked sad, and the 
king asked her again what was the matter. She answered that 
she had been walking by the river and had dropped one of her 
green satin slippers into the water. 

“ Oh! if that’s all,” said the king, and he sent to all the shoe¬ 
makers in his kingdom, and they very soon made the queen 
ten thousand green satin slippers, but still she looked sad. So 
the king asked her again what was the matter, and this time 
she answered that in eating her porridge too hastily she 
had swallowed her wedding ring. But it so happened that 
the king knew better, for he had the ring himself, and he 
said: 

“ Oh! you are not telling me the truth, for I have your ring 
here in my purse.” 

Then the queen was very much ashamed, and she saw that 
the king was vexed with her; so she told him all that the 
fairies had predicted about Rosette, and begged him to think 
how the misfortunes might be prevented. 

Then it was the king’s turn to look sad, and at last he 
said: 

“ I see no way of saving our sons except by having Rosette’s 
head cut off while she is still little.” 

But the queen cried that she would far rather have her own 
head cut off, and that he had better think of something else, 
for she would never consent to such a thing. So they thought 
and thought, but they could not tell what to do, until at last 
the queen heard that in a great forest near the castle there 
was an old hermit, who lived in a hollow tree, and that people 
came from far and near to consult him; so she said: 

“ I had better go and ask his advice; perhaps he will know 
what to do to prevent the misfortunes which the fairies fore¬ 
told.” 

She set out very early the next morning, mounted upon a 
pretty little white mule, which was shod with solid gold, and 
two of her ladies rode behind her on beautiful horses. When 
they reached the forest they dismounted, for the trees grew 
so thickly that the horses could not pass, and made their way 

[454] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

on foot to the hollow tree where the hermit lived. At first 
when he saw them coming he was vexed, for he was not fond 
of ladies; but when he recognized the queen, he said: 

“ You are welcome, queen. What do you come to ask of 
me?” 

Then the queen told him all that the fairies had foreseen for 
Rosette, and asked what she should do, and the hermit an¬ 
swered that she must shut the princess up in a tower and never 
let her come out of it again. The queen thanked and rewarded 
him, and hastened back to the castle to tell the king. When 
he heard the news he had a great tower built as quickly as 
possible, and there the princess was shut up, and the king and 
queen and her two brothers went to see her every day that she 
might not be dull. The eldest brother was called “ the great 
prince,” and the second “ the little prince.” They loved their 
sister dearly, for she was the sweetest, prettiest princess who 
was ever seen, and the least little smile from her was worth 
more than a hundred pieces of gold. When Rosette was fifteen 
years old the great prince went to the king and asked if it 
would not soon be time for her to be married, and the little 
prince put the same question to the queen. 

Their majesties were amused at them for thinking of it, but 
did not make any reply, and soon after both the king and the 
queen were taken ill, and died on the same day. Everybody 
was sorry, Rosette especially, and all the bells in the kingdom 
were tolled. 

Then all the dukes and counselors put the great prince upon 
a golden throne, and crowned him with a diamond crown, and 
they all cried, “ Long live the king! ” And after that there 
was nothing but feasting and rejoicing. 

The new king and his brother said to each other: 

“ Now that we are the masters, let us take our sister out 
of that dull tower which she is so tired of.” 

They had only to go across the garden to reach the tower, 
which was very high, and stood up in a corner. Rosette was 
busy at her embroidery, but when she saw her brothers she 
got up, and taking the king’s hand cried: 

[455] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

“ Good-morning, dear brother. Now that you are king, 
please take me out of this dull tower, for I am so tired of it.” 

Then she began to cry, but the king kissed her and told her 
to dry her tears, as that was just what they had come for, to 
take her out of the tower and bring her to their beautiful castle, 
and the prince showed her a pocketful of sugar plums he had 
brought for her, and said: 

“ Make haste, and let us get away from this ugly tower, and 
very soon the king will arrange a grand marriage for you.” 

When Rosette saw the beautiful garden, full of fruit and 
flowers, with green grass and sparkling fountains, she was so 
astonished that not a word could she say, for she had never 
in her life seen anything like it before. She looked about her, 
and ran hither and thither gathering fruit and flowers, and her 
little dog Frisk, who was bright green all over, and had but 
one ear, danced before her, crying “ Bow-wow-wow,” and 
turning head over heels in the most enchanting way. 

Everybody was amused at Frisk’s antics, but all of a sud¬ 
den he ran away into a little wood, and the princess was fol¬ 
lowing him, when, to her great delight, she saw a peacock, 
who was spreading his tail in the sunshine. Rosette thought 
she had never seen anything so pretty. She could not take her 
eyes off him, and there she stood entranced until the king and 
the prince came up and asked what was amusing her so much. 
She showed them the peacock and asked what it was, and they 
answered that it was a bird which people sometimes ate. 

“ What! ” said the princess, “ do they dare to kill that beau¬ 
tiful creature and eat it? I declare that I will never marry 
any one but the king of the peacocks, and when I am queen I 
will take very good care that nobody eats any of my subjects.” 

At this the king was very much astonished. 

“ But, little sister,” said he, “ where shall we find the king 
of the peacocks?” 

“ Oh, wherever you like, sire! ” she answered, “ but I will 
never marry any one else.” 

After this they took Rosette to the beautiful castle, and the 
peacock was brought with her, and told to walk about on the 

[ 456 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

terrace outside her windows, so that she might always see him, 
and then the ladies of the court came to see the princess, and 
they brought her beautiful presents—dresses and ribbons and 
sweetmeats, diamonds and pearls and dolls and embroidered 
slippers, and she was so well brought up, and said “ Thank 
you! ” so prettily, and was so gracious that every one went 
away delighted with her. 

Meanwhile the king and the prince were considering how 
they should find the king of the peacocks, if there was such 
a person in the world. And first of all they had a portrait 
made of the princess, which was so like her that you really 
would not have been surprised if it had spoken to you. Then 
they said to her: 

“ Since you will not marry any one but th i., of the pea¬ 
cocks, we are going out together into the jrld to search 

for him. If we find him for you we shah y glad. In the 

mean time, mind you take good care of igdom.” 

Rosette thanked them for all the * they were taking 

on her account, and promised to ta 1 .t care of the king¬ 
dom, and to amuse herself only by g at the peacock, and 

making Frisk dance while they ' vay. 

So they set out, and asked e^ e they met: 

“ Do you know the king of acocks ? ” 

But the answer was alway j, no.” 

Then they went on and o *r that no one has ever been 

farther, and at last they _ ,o the kingdom of the cock¬ 
chafers. 

They had never before uch a number of cockchafers, 

and the buzzing was so lou the king was afraid he should 
be deafened by it. He a he most distinguished-looking 

cockchafer they met if he where they could find the king 

of the peacocks. 

“ Sire,” replied the cocl r, “ his kingdom is thirty thou¬ 
sand leagues from this; j ve come the longest way.” 

“ And how do you kno ? ” said the king. 

“ Oh! ” said the cockc “ we all know you very well, 

since we spend two or thr nths in your garden every year.” 

57 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

Thereupon the king and the prince made great friends with 
him, and they all walked arm in arm and dined together, and 
afterward the cockchafer showed them all the curiosities of his 
strange country, where the tiniest green leaf costs a gold piece 
and more. Then they set out again to finish their journey, and 
this time, as they knew the way, they were not long upon the 
road. It was easy to guess that they had come to the right 
place, for they saw peacocks in every tree, and their cries could 
be heard a long way off. 

When they reached the city they found it full of men and 
women who were dressed entirely in peacocks’ feathers, which 
were evidently thought prettier than anything else. 

They soon met the king, who was driving about in a beauti¬ 
ful little golden carriage which glittered with diamonds, and 
was drawn at full speed by twelve peacocks. The king and 
prince were delighted to see that the king of the peacocks was 
as handsome as possible. He had curly golden hair and was 
very pale, and he wore a crown of peacocks’ feathers. 

When he saw Rosette’s brothers he knew at once that they 
were strangers, and stopping his carriage he sent for them to 
speak to him. When they had greeted him they said: 

“ Sire, we have come from very far away to show you a 
beautiful portrait.” 

So saying, they drew from their traveling-bag the picture 
of Rosette. 

The king looked at it in silence a long time, but at last he 
said : 

“ I could not have believed that there was such a beautiful 
princess in the world! ” 

“ Indeed, she is really a hundred times as pretty as that,” 
said her brothers. 

“ I think you must be making fun of me,” replied the king 
of the peacocks. 

“ Sire,” said the prince, “ my brother is a king, like yourself. 
He is called 4 the king,’ I am called 4 the prince,’ and that is 
the portrait of our sister, the Princess Rosette. We have come 
to ask if you would like to marry her. She is as good as she 

[ 458 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

is beautiful, and we will give her a bushel of gold pieces for 
her dowry.” 

“ Oh, with all my heart! ” replied the king, “ and I will 
make her very happy. She shall have whatever she likes, and 
I shall love her dearly; only I warn you that if she is not as 
pretty as you have told me, I will have your heads cut off.” 

“ Oh, certainly, we quite agree to that! ” said the brothers 
in one breath. 

“ Very well. Off with you into prison, and stay there until 
the princess arrives,” said the king of the peacocks. 

And the princes were so sure that Rosette was far prettier 
than her portrait that they went without a murmur. They were 
very kindly treated, and that they might not feel dull the king 
came often to see them. As for Rosette's portrait, that was 
taken up to the palace, and the king did nothing but gaze at 
it all day and all night. 

As the king and the prince had to stay in prison, they sent 
a letter to the princess telling her to pack up all her treasures 
as quickly as possible and come to them, as the king of the 
peacocks was waiting to marry her; but they did not say that 
they were in prison, for fear of making her uneasy. 

When Rosette received the letter she was so delighted that 
she ran about telling every one that the king of the peacocks 
was found, and she was going to marry him. 

Guns were fired and fireworks set off. Every one had as 
many cakes and sweetmeats as he wanted, and for three days 
everybody who came to see the princess was presented with a 
slice of bread and jam, a nightingale's egg, and some hippocras. 
After having thus entertained her friends, she distributed her 
dolls among them, and left her brother's kingdom to the care 
of the wisest old men of the city, telling them to take charge 
of everything, not to spend any money, but save it all up until 
the king should return, and above all, not to forget to feed her 
peacock. Then she set out, only taking with her her nurse 
and the nurse's daughter, and the little green dog Frisk. 

They took a boat and put out to sea, carrying with them 
the bushel of gold pieces, and enough dresses to last the prin- 

[459] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

cess ten years if she wore two every day, and they did nothing 
but laugh and sing. The nurse asked the boatman: 

“ Can you take us, can you take us to the kingdom of the 
peacocks ? ” 

But he answered: 

“ Oh, no! oh, no! ” 

Then she said: 

“You must take us, you must take us.” 

And he answered: 

“ Very soon, very soon.” 

Then the nurse said: 

“ Will you take us ? will you take us ? ” 

And the boatman answered: 

“ Yes, yes.” 

Then she whispered in his ear: 

“ Do you want to make your fortune ? ” 

And he said: 

“ Certainly I do.” 

“ I can tell you how to get a bag of gold,” said she. 

“ I ask nothing better,” said the boatman. 

“ Well,” said the nurse, “ to-night, when the princess is 
asleep, you must help me to throw her into the sea, and when 
she is drowned I will put her beautiful clothes upon my daugh¬ 
ter, and we will take her to the king of the peacocks, who 
will be only too glad to marry her, and as your reward you 
shall have your boat full of diamonds.” 

The boatman was very much surprised at this proposal and 
said: 

“ But what a pity to drown such a pretty princess! ” 

However, at last the nurse persuaded him to help her, and 
when the night came and the princess was fast asleep as usual, 
with Frisk curled up on his own cushion at the foot of her 
bed, the wicked nurse fetched the boatman and her daughter, 
and between them they picked up the princess, feather bed, 
mattress, pillows, blankets and all, and threw her into the sea, 
without even waking her. Now, luckily, the princess’ bed was 
entirely stuffed with phoenix feathers, which are very rare, and 

[46o] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

have the property of always floating upon water, so Rosette 
went on swimming about as if she had been in a boat. After 
a little while she began to feel very cold, and turned round 
so often that she woke Frisk, who started up, and having a 
very good nose, smelled the soles and herrings so close to him 
that he began to bark. He barked so long and so loud that 
he woke all the other fish, who came swimming up round the 
princess’ bed, and poking at it with their great heads. As for 
her, she said to herself: 

u How our boat does rock upon the water! I am really 
glad that I am not often as uncomfortable as I have been 
to-night.” 

The wicked nurse and the boatman, who were by this time 
quite a long way off, heard Frisk barking, and said to each 
other: 

“ That horrid little animal and his mistress are drinking our 
health in sea-water now. Let us make haste to land, for we 
must be quite near the city of the king of the peacocks.” 

The king had sent a hundred carriages to meet them, drawn 
by every kind of strange animal. There were lions, bears, 
wolves, stags, horses, buffaloes, eagles, and peacocks. The 
carriage intended for the Princess Rosette had six blue mon¬ 
keys, which could turn somersaults, and dance on a tight-rope, 
and do many other charming tricks. Their harness was all 
of crimson velvet with gold buckles, and behind the carriage 
walked sixty beautiful ladies chosen by the king to wait upon 
Rosette and amuse her. 

The nurse had taken all the pains imaginable to deck out 
her daughter. She put on her Rosette’s prettiest frock, and 
covered her with diamonds from head to foot. But she was 
so ugly that nothing could make her look nice, and what was 
worse, she was sulky and ill-tempered, and did nothing but 
grumble all the time. 

When she stepped from the boat and the escort sent by the 
king of the peacocks caught sight of her, they were so sur¬ 
prised that they could not say a single word. 

“ Now then, look alive,” cried the false princess. “ If you 

[461] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

don’t bring me something to eat I will have all your heads 
cutoff!” 

Then they whispered one to another: 

“ Here’s a pretty state of things! she is as wicked as she is 
ugly. What a bride for our poor king! She certainly was not 
worth bringing from the other end of the world! ” 

But she went on ordering them all about, and for no fault at 
all would give slaps and pinches to every one she could reach. 

As the procession was so long it advanced but slowly, and 
the nurse’s daughter sat up in her carriage trying to look like 
a queen. But the peacocks, who were sitting upon every tree 
waiting to salute her, and who had made up their minds to 
cry, “ Long live our beautiful queen! ” when they caught sight 
of the false bride could not help crying instead: 

“ Oh, how ugly she is! ” 

Which offended her so much that she said to the guards: 

“ Make haste and kill all these insolent peacocks who have 
dared to insult me.” 

But the peacocks only flew away, laughing at her. 

The rogue of a boatman, who noticed all this, said softly to 
the nurse: 

“ This is a bad business for us, gossip; your daughter ought 
to have been prettier.” 

But she answered: 

“ Be quiet, stupid, or you will spoil everything.” 

Now they told the king that the princess was approaching. 

“Well,” said he, “did her brothers tell me truly? Is she 
prettier than her portrait ? ” 

“ Sire,” they answered, “ if she were as pretty that would 
do very well.” 

“ That’s true,” said the king. “ I for one shall be quite 
satisfied if she is. Let us go and meet her.” For they knew 
by the uproar that she had arrived, but they could not tell what 
all the shouting was about. The king thought he could hear 
the words: 

“ How ugly she is! How ugly she is! ” and he fancied they 
must refer to some dwarf the princess was bringing with her. 

[462] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

It never occurred to him that they could apply to the bride 
herself. 

The Princess Rosette’s portrait was carried at the head of 
the procession, and after it walked the king surrounded by his 
courtiers. He was all impatience to see the lovely princess, 
but when he caught sight of the nurse’s daughter he was 
furiously angry, and would not advance another step, for she 
was really ugly enough to have frightened anybody. 

“ What! ” he cried, “ have the two rascals who are my pris¬ 
oners dared to play me such a trick as this ? Do they propose 
that I shall marry this hideous creature? Let her be shut up 
in my great tower, with her nurse and those who brought her 
here; and as for them, I will have their heads cut off.” 

Meanwhile the king and the prince, who knew that their 
sister must have arrived, had made themselves smart, and sat 
expecting every minute to be summoned to greet her. So when 
the jailer came with soldiers, and carried them down into a 
black dungeon which swarmed with toads and bats, and where 
they were up to their necks in water, nobody could have been 
more surprised and dismayed than they were. 

“ This is a dismal kind of wedding,” they said. “ What can 
have happened that we should be treated like this ? They must 
mean to kill us.” 

And this idea annoyed them very much. Three days passed 
before they heard any news, and then the king of the peacocks 
came and berated them through a hole in the wall. 

“ You have called yourselves king and prince,” he cried, 
“ to try and make me marry your sister, but you are nothing 
but beggars, not worth the water you drink. I mean to make 
short work with you, and the sword is being sharpened that 
will cut off your heads! ” 

“ King of the peacocks,” answered the king angrily, “ you 
had better take care what you are about. I am as good a king 
as yourself, and have a splendid kingdom, and robes and 
crowns, and plenty of good red gold to do what I like with. 
You are pleased to jest about having our heads cut off. Per¬ 
haps you think we have stolen something from you ? ” 

[463 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

At first the king of the peacocks was taken aback by this 
bold speech, and had half a mind to send all the culprits away 
together; but his prime minister declared that it would never 
do to let such a trick as that pass unpunished, everybody would 
laugh at him. So the accusation was drawn up against them, 
that they were impostors, and that they had promised the king 
a beautiful princess in marriage who, when she arrived, proved 
to be an ugly peasant girl. 

This accusation was read to the prisoners, who cried out 
that they had spoken the truth, that their sister was indeed a 
princess more beautiful than the day, and that there was some 
mystery about all this which they could not fathom. There¬ 
fore they demanded seven days in which to prove their inno¬ 
cence. The king of the peacocks was so angry that he would 
hardly even grant them this favor, but at last he was per¬ 
suaded to do so. 

While all this was going on at court, let us see what had 
been happening to the real princess. When the day broke 
she and Frisk were equally astonished at finding themselves 
alone upon the sea, with no boat and no one to help them. 
The princess cried and cried, until even the fishes were sorry 
for her. 

“ Alas! ” she said, “ the king of the peacocks must have 
ordered me to be thrown into the sea because he had changed 
his mind and did not want to marry me. But how strange of 
him, when I should have loved him so much, and we should 
have been so happy together! ” 

And then she cried harder than ever, for she could not help 
still loving him. So for two days they floated up and down the 
sea, wet and shivering with the cold, and so hungry that when 
the princess saw some oysters she caught them, and she and 
Frisk both ate some, though they didn’t like them at all. When 
night came the princess was so frightened that she said to 
Frisk: 

“ Oh, do please keep on barking for fear the soles should 
come and eat us up 1 ” 

Now it happened that they had floated close in to the shore, 

[464] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

where a poor old man lived all alone in a little cottage. When 
he heard Frisk’s barking he thought to himself: 

“ There must have been a shipwreck!” (for no dogs ever 
passed that way by any chance), and he went out to see if he 
could be of any use. He soon saw the princess and Frisk 
floating up and down, and Rosette, stretching out her hands 
to him, cried: 

“ Oh, good old man, do save me, or I shall die of cold and 
hunger! ” 

When he heard her cry out so piteously he was very sorry 
for her, and ran back into his house to fetch a long boat-hook. 
Then he waded into the water up to his chin, and after being 
nearly drowned once or twice he at last succeeded in getting 
hold of the princess’ bed and dragging it on shore. 

Rosette and Frisk were joyful enough to find themselves 
once more on dry land, and the princess thanked the old man 
heartily; then, wrapping herself up in her blankets, she dain¬ 
tily picked her way up to the cottage on her little bare feet. 
There the old man lighted a fire of straw, and then drew from 
an old box his wife’s dress and shoes, which the princess put 
on, and thus roughly clad looked as charming as possible, and 
Frisk danced his very best to amuse her. 

The old man saw that Rosette must be some great lady, for 
her bed coverings were all of satin and gold. He begged that 
she would tell him all her history, as she might safely trust 
him. The princess told him everything, weeping bitterly again 
at the thought that it was by the king’s orders that she had 
been thrown overboard. 

“ And now, my daughter, what is to be done ? ” said the old 
man. “ You are a great princess, accustomed to fare daintily, 
and I have nothing to offer you but black bread and radishes, 
which will not suit you at all. Shall I go and tell the king 
of the peacocks that you are here? If he sees you he will 
certainly wish to marry you.” 

“ Oh, no! ” cried Rosette, “ he must be wicked, since he tried 
to drown me. Don’t let us tell him, but if you have a little 
basket give it to me.” 


[465] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

The old man gave her a basket, and tying it round Frisk’s 
neck she said to him: “ Go and find out the best cooking-pot 
in the town and bring the contents to me.” 

Away went Frisk, and as there was no better dinner cooking 
in all the town than the king’s, he adroitly took the cover off 
the pot and brought all it contained to the princess, who said: 

“ Now go back to the pantry, and bring the best of every¬ 
thing you find there.” 

So Frisk went back and filled his basket with white bread, 
and red wine, and every kind of sweetmeat, until it was almost 
too heavy for him to carry. 

When the king of the peacocks wanted his dinner there was 
nothing in the pot and nothing in the pantry. All the courtiers 
looked at one another in dismay, and the king was terribly 
cross. 

“ Oh, well! ” he said, “ if there is no dinner I cannot dine, 
but take care that plenty of things are roasted for supper.” 

When evening came the princess said to Frisk: 

“ Go into the town and find out the best kitchen, and bring 
me all the nicest morsels that are being roasted upon the spit.” 

Frisk did as he was told, and as he knew of no better 
kitchen than the king’s, he went in softly, and when the cook’s 
back was turned took everything that was upon the spit. As 
it happened it was all done to a turn, and looked so good that 
it made him hungry only to see it. He carried his basket to the 
princess, who at once sent him back to the pantry to bring all 
the tarts and sugar-plums that had been prepared for the king’s 
supper. 

The king, as he had had no dinner, was very hungry and 
wanted his supper early, but when he asked for it, lo, and be¬ 
hold it was all gone, and he had to go to bed half starved and 
in a terrible temper. The next day the same thing happened, 
and the next, so that for three days the king got nothing at all 
to eat, because just when the dinner or the supper was ready 
to be served it mysteriously disappeared. At last the prime 
minister began to be afraid that the king would be starved to 
death, so he resolved to hide himself in some dark corner of 

[466] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

the kitchen, and never take his eyes off the cooking-pot. His 
surprise was great when he presently saw a little green dog 
with one ear slip softly into the kitchen, uncover the pot, trans¬ 
fer all its contents to his basket, and run off. The prime min¬ 
ister followed hastily, and tracked him all through the town 
to the cottage of the good old man; then he ran back to the 
king and told that he had found out where all his dinners and 
suppers went. The king, who was very much astonished, said 
he should like to go and see for himself. So he set out, ac¬ 
companied by the prime minister and a guard of archers, and 
arrived just in time to find the old man and the princess finish¬ 
ing his dinner. 

The king ordered that they should be seized and bound with 
ropes, and Frisk also. 

When they were brought back to the palace some one told 
the king, who said: 

“ To-day is the last day of the respite granted to those im¬ 
postors; they shall have their heads cut off at the same time 
as these stealers of my dinner.” Then the old man went down 
on his knees before the king and begged for time to tell him 
everything. While he spoke the king for the first time looked 
attentively at the princess, because he was sorry to see how she 
cried, and when he heard the old man saying that her name 
was Rosette, and that she had been treacherously thrown into 
the sea, he turned head over heels three times without stopping, 
in spite of being quite weak from hunger, and ran to embrace 
her, and untied the ropes which bound her with his own hands, 
declaring that he loved her with all his heart. 

Messengers were sent to bring the princes out of prison, and 
they came very sadly, believing that they were to be executed 
at once; the nurse and her daughter and the boatman were 
brought also. As soon as they came in Rosette ran to embrace 
her brothers, while the traitors threw themselves down before 
her and begged for mercy. The king and the princess were so 
happy that they freely forgave them, and as for the good old 
man he was splendidly rewarded, and spent the rest of his 
days in the palace. The king of the peacocks made ample 

[467] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

amends to the king and prince for the way in which they had 
been treated, and did everything in his power to show how 
sorry he was. 

The nurse restored to Rosette all her dresses and jewels, and 
the bushel of gold pieces; the wedding was held at once, and 
they all lived happily ever after—even to Frisk, who enjoyed 
the greatest luxury, and never had anything worse than the 
wing of a partridge for dinner all the rest of his life. 


[468] 


The Son of Seven Queens 

X^VNCE upon a time there lived a king who had seven 
t J queens, but no children. This was a great grief to him, 
especially when he remembered that on his death there 
would be no heir to inherit the kingdom. 

Now it happened one day that a poor old fakir came to the 
king and said: “Your prayers are heard, your desire shall be 
accomplished, and one of your seven queens shall bear a son.” 

The king’s delight at this promise knew no bounds, and he 
gave orders for appropriate festivities to be prepared against 
the coming event throughout the length and breadth of the 
land. 

Meanwhile the seven queens lived luxuriously in a splendid 
palace, attended by hundreds of female slaves, and fed to their 
hearts’ content on sweetmeats and confectionery. 

Now the king was very fond of hunting, and one day, before 
he started, the seven queens sent him a message saying: “ May 
it please our dearest lord not to hunt toward the north to-day, 
for we have dreamed bad dreams, and fear lest evil should 
befall you.” 

The king, to allay their anxiety, promised regard for their 
wishes, and set out toward the south; but as luck would have 
it, although he hunted diligently, he found no game. Nor 
had he more success to the east or west, so that, being a keen 
sportsman, and determined not to go home empty-handed, he 
forgot all about his promise and turned to the north. Here 
also he was at first unsuccessful, but just as he had made up 
his mind to give up for that day, a white hind with golden 
horns and silver hoofs flashed past him into a thicket. So 
quickly did it pass that he scarcely saw it; nevertheless, a burn- 

[469] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

ing desire to capture and possess the beautiful strange creature 
filled his breast. He instantly ordered his attendants to form 
a ring round the thicket, and so encircle the hind; then, gradu¬ 
ally narrowing the circle, he pressed forward till he could dis¬ 
tinctly see the white hind panting in the midst. Nearer and 
nearer he advanced, till, just as he thought to lay hold of the 
beautiful strange creature, it gave one mighty bound, leaped 
clean over the king’s head, and fled toward the mountains. 
Forgetful of all else, the king, setting spurs to his horse, fol¬ 
lowed at full speed. On, on he galloped, leaving his retinue 
far behind, keeping the white hind in view, never drawing 
bridle until, finding himself in a narrow ravine with no out¬ 
let, he reined in his steed. Before him stood a miserable hovel, 
into which, being tired after his long, unsuccessful chase, he 
entered to ask for a drink of water. An old woman, seated 
in the hut at a spinning-wheel, answered his request by calling 
to her daughter, and immediately from an inner room came a 
maiden so lovely and charming, so white-skinned and golden¬ 
haired, that the king was transfixed by astonishment at seeing 
so beautiful a sight in the wretched hovel. 

She held the vessel of water to the king’s lips, and as he 
drank he looked into her eyes, and then it became clear to him 
that the girl was no other than the white hind with the golden 
horns and silver feet he had chased so far. 

Her beauty bewitched him, so he fell on his knees, begging 
her to return with him as his bride; but she only laughed, say¬ 
ing seven queens were quite enough even for a king to manage. 
However, when he would take no refusal, but implored her to 
have pity on him, promising her everything she could desire, 
she replied: “ Give me the eyes of your seven queens, and then 
perhaps I may believe you mean what you say.” 

The king was so carried away by the glamour of the white 
hind’s magical beauty that he went home at once, had the 
eyes of his seven queens taken out, and, after throwing the 
poor blind creatures into a noisome dungeon whence they could 
not escape, set off once more for the hovel in the ravine, bear¬ 
ing with him his horrible offering. But the white hind only 

[ 470 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

laughed cruelly when she saw the fourteen eyes, and threading 
them as a necklace, flung it round her mother’s neck, saying: 
“ Wear that, little mother, as a keepsake, while I am away in 
the king’s palace.” 

Then she went back with the bewitched monarch, as his 
bride, and he gave her the seven queens’ rich clothes and jewels 
to wear, the seven queens’ palace to live in, and the seven 
queens’ slaves to wait upon her; so that she really had every¬ 
thing even a witch could desire. 

Now, very soon after the seven wretched hapless queens had 
their eyes torn out, and were cast into prison, a baby was born 
to the youngest of the queens. It was a handsome boy, but the 
other queens were very jealous that the youngest among them 
should be so fortunate. But though at first they disliked the 
handsome little boy, he soon proved so useful to them, that ere 
long they all looked on him as their son. Almost as soon as 
he could walk about he began scraping at the mud wall of their 
dungeon, and in an incredibly short space of time had made 
a hole big enough for him to crawl through. Through this he 
disappeared, returning in an hour or so laden with sweetmeats, 
which he divided equally among the seven blind queens. 

As he grew older he enlarged the hole, and slipped out two 
or three times every day to play with the little nobles in the 
town. No one knew who the tiny boy was, but everybody 
liked him, and he was so full of funny tricks and antics, so 
merry and bright, that he was sure to be rewarded by some 
girdle-cakes, a handful of parched grain, or some sweetmeats. 
All these things he brought home to his seven mothers, as he 
loved to call the seven blind queens, who by his help lived on 
in their dungeon when all the world thought they had starved 
to death ages before. 

At last, when he was quite a big lad, he one day took his 
bow and arrow, and went out to seek for game. Coming by 
chance past the palace where the white hind lived in wicked 
splendor and magnificence, he saw some pigeons fluttering 
round the white marble turrets, and, taking good aim, shot one 
dead. It came tumbling past the very window where the 

[471] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

white queen was sitting; she rose to see what was the matter, 
and looked out. At the first glance of the handsome young 
lad standing there bow in hand, she knew by witchcraft that 
it was the king’s son. 

She nearly died of envy and spite, determining to destroy 
the lad without delay; therefore, sending a servant to bring 
him to her presence, she asked him if he would sell her the 
pigeon he had just shot. 

“ No,” replied the sturdy lad, “ the pigeon is for my seven 
blind mothers, who live in the noisome dungeon, and who 
would die if I did not bring them food.” 

“ Poor souls! ” cried the cunning white witch. “ Would 
you not like to bring them their eyes again? Give me the 
pigeon, my dear, and I faithfully promise to show you where 
to find them.” 

Hearing this, the lad was delighted beyond measure, and 
gave up the pigeon at once. Whereupon the white queen told 
him to seek her mother without delay, and ask for the eyes 
which she wore as a necklace. 

“ She will not fail to give them,” said the cruel queen, “ if 
you show her this token on which I have written what I want 
done.” 

So saying, she gave the lad a piece of broken potsherd, with 
these words inscribed on it: “ Kill the bearer at once, and 
sprinkle his blood like water! ” 

Now, as the son of seven queens could not read, he took 
the fatal message cheerfully, and set off to find the white 
queen’s mother. 

While he was journeying he passed through a town where 
every one of the inhabitants looked so sad that he could not 
help asking what was the matter. They told him it was be¬ 
cause the king’s only daughter refused to marry; therefore 
when her father died there would be no heir to the throne. 
They greatly feared she must be out of her mind, for though 
every good-looking young man in the kingdom had been 
shown to her, she declared she would only marry one who was 
the son of seven mothers, and who had ever heard of such a 

[472] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

thing? The king, in despair, had ordered every man who en¬ 
tered the city gates to be led before the princess; so, much to 
the lad’s impatience, for he was in an immense hurry to find 
his mother’s eyes, he was dragged into the presence-chamber. 

No sooner did the princess catch sight of him than she 
blushed, and, turning to the king, said, “ Dear father, this is 
my choice! ” 

Never were such rejoicings as these few words produced. 
The inhabitants nearly went wild with joy, but the son of seven 
queens said he would not marry the princess unless they first 
let him recover his mothers’ eyes. When the beautiful bride 
heard his story, she asked to see the potsherd, for she was very 
learned and clever. Seeing the treacherous words, she said 
nothing, but taking another similar-shaped bit of potsherd, she 
wrote on it these words: “ Take care of this lad, giving him all 
he desires,” and returned it to the son of seven queens, who, 
none the wiser, set off on his quest. 

Ere long he arrived at the hovel in the ravine where the 
white witch’s mother, a hideous old creature, grumbled dread¬ 
fully on reading the message, especially when the lad asked 
for the necklace of eyes. Nevertheless she took it off and 
gave it him, saying: “There are only thirteen of ’em now, 
for I lost one last week.” 

The lad, however, was only too glad to get any at all, so 
he hurried home as fast as he could to his seven mothers, and 
gave two eyes apiece to the six elder queens; but to the 
youngest he gave one, saying: “ Dearest little mother!—I will 
be your other eye always! ” 

After this he set off to marry the princess, as he had prom¬ 
ised, but when passing by the white queen’s palace he saw 
some pigeons on the roof. Drawing his bow, he shot one, 
and it came fluttering past the window. The white hind 
looked out, and lo! there was the king’s son alive and well. 

She cried with hatred and disgust, but sending for the 
lad, asked him how he had returned so soon, and when she 
heard how he had brought home the thirteen eyes, and given 
them to the seven blind queens, she could hardly restrain 

[473] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

her rage. Nevertheless she pretended to be charmed with 
his success, and told him that if he would give her this pigeon 
also, she would reward him with the Jogi’s wonderful cow, 
whose milk flows all day long, and makes a pond as big as 
a kingdom. The lad, nothing loth, gave her the pigeon; 
whereupon, as before, she bade him go and ask her mother for 
the cow, and gave him a potsherd whereon was written, “ Kill 
this lad without fail, and sprinkle his blood like water! ” 

But on the way the son of seven queens looked in on the 
princess, just to tell her how he came to be delayed, and she, 
after reading the message on the potsherd, gave him another 
in its stead; so that when the lad reached the old hag’s hut 
and asked her for the Jogi’s cow, she could not refuse, but 
told the boy how to find it; and bidding him of all things 
not to be afraid of the eighteen thousand demons who kept 
watch and ward over the treasure, told him to be off before 
she became too angry at her daughter’s foolishness in thus 
giving away so many good things. 

Then the lad bravely did as he had been told. He jour¬ 
neyed on and on till he came to a milk-white pond, guarded 
by the eighteen thousand demons. They were really fright¬ 
ful to behold, but, plucking up courage, he whistled a tune 
as he walked through them, looking neither to the right nor 
the left. By and by he came upon the Jogi’s cow, tall, white, 
and beautiful, while the Jogi himself, who was king of all the 
demons, sat milking her day and night, and the milk streamed 
from her udder, filling the milk-white tank. 

The Jogi, seeing the lad, called out fiercely, “ What do 
you want here?” 

Then the lad answered, according to the old hag’s bidding: 
“ I want your skin, for King Indra is making a new kettle¬ 
drum, and says your skin is nice and tough.” 

Upon this the Jogi began to shiver and shake (for no Jinn 
or Jogi dares disobey King Indra’s command), and, falling at 
the lad’s feet, cried: “ If you will spare me I will give you 
anything I possess, even my beautiful white cow!” 

To this the son of seven queens, after a little pretended 

[ 474 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

hesitation, agreed, saying that after all it would not be dif¬ 
ficult to find a nice tough skin like the Jogi’s elsewhere; so 
driving the wonderful cow before him, he set off homeward. 
The seven queens were delighted to possess so marvelous 
an animal, and though they toiled from morning till night 
making curds and whey, besides selling milk to the confec¬ 
tioners, they could not use half the cow gave, and became 
richer and richer day by day. 

Seeing them so comfortably off, the son of seven queens 
started with a light heart to marry the princess; but when 
passing the white hind’s palace he could not resist sending a 
bolt at some pigeons that were cooing on the parapet. One 
fell dead just beneath the window where the white queen was 
sitting. Looking out, she saw the lad, hale and hearty, stand¬ 
ing before her, and grew whiter than ever with rage and spite. 

She sent for him to ask how he had returned so soon, and 
when she heard how kindly her mother had received him, she 
very nearly had a fit. However, she dissembled her feelings 
as well as she could, and, smiling sweetly, said she was glad 
to have been able to fulfil her promise, and that if he would 
give her this third pigeon, she would do yet more for him than 
she had done before, by giving him the millionfold rice, which 
ripens in one night. 

The lad was of course delighted at the very idea, and, giv¬ 
ing up the pigeon, set off on his quest, armed as before with 
a potsherd, on which was written: “ Do not fail this time. Kill 
the lad, and sprinkle his blood like water! ” 

But when he looked in on his princess, just to prevent her 
becoming anxious about him, she asked to see the potsherd as 
usual, and substituted another, on which was written: “Yet 
again give this lad all he requires, for his blood shall be as 
your blood! ” 

Now when the old hag saw this, and heard how the lad 
wanted the millionfold rice which ripens in a single night, she 
fell into the most furious rage, but being terribly afraid of her 
daughter, she controlled herself, and bade the boy go and 
find the field guarded by eighteen millions of demons, warning 

[475] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

him on no account to look back after having plucked the tallest 
spike of rice, which grew in the center. 

So the son of seven queens set off, and soon came to the 
field where, guarded by eighteen millions of demons, the mil¬ 
lionfold rice grew. He walked on bravely, looking neither to 
the right nor left, till he reached the center and plucked the 
tallest ear, but as he turned homeward a thousand sweet voices 
rose behind him, crying in tenderest accents: “ Pluck me too! 
oh, please pluck me too! ” He looked back, and lo! there was 
nothing left of him but a little heap of ashes! 

Now as time passed by and the lad did not return, the old 
hag grew uneasy, remembering the message “ His blood shall 
be as your blood ”; so she set off to see what had happened. 

Soon she came to the heap of ashes, and knowing by her 
arts what it was, she took a little water, and kneading the ashes 
into a paste, formed it into the likeness of a man; then, putting 
a drop of blood from her little finger into its mouth, she blew 
on it, and instantly the son of seven queens started up as well 
as ever. 

“ Don’t you disobey orders again! ” grumbled the old hag, 
“ or next time I’ll leave you alone. Now be off, before I re¬ 
pent of my kindness! ” 

So the son of seven queens returned joyfully to his seven 
mothers, who, by the aid of the millionfold rice, soon became 
the richest people in the kingdom. Then they celebrated their 
son’s marriage to the clever princess with all imaginable pomp; 
but the bride was so clever, she would not rest until she had 
made known her husband to his father, and punished the 
wicked white witch. So she made her husband build a palace 
exactly like the one in which the seven queens had lived, and 
in which the white witch now dwelt in splendor. Then, when 
all was prepared, she bade her husband give a grand feast to 
the king. Now the king had heard much of the mysterious 
son of seven queens, and his marvelous wealth, so he gladly 
accepted the invitation; but what was his astonishment when 
on entering the palace he found it was a facsimile of his own 
in every particular! And when his host, richly attired, led 

[ 476 ] 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

him straight to the private hall, where on royal thrones sat the 
seven queens, dressed as he had last seen them, he was speech¬ 
less with surprise, until the princess, coming forward, threw 
herself at his feet and told him the whole story. Then the 
king awoke from his enchantment, and his anger rose against 
the wicked white hind who had bewitched him so long, until 
he could not contain himself. So she was put to death, and her 
grave plowed over, and after that the seven queens returned 
to their own splendid palace, and everybody lived happily. 


THE END 


/ 


[477] 
























McClures library of 
CHILDREN’S CLASSICS 


“The Crimson Classics” 

EDITED BY 

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AND 

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problem of children’s reading is 
of the greatest with which parents 
teachers are confronted. It is the 
pose of this series to provide the 
very best literature in every field for the use of 
children and young people of all ages,—poetry, 
fairy lore, fables, nursery rhymes, short entertaining 
stories, etc., etc. To accomplish this purpose the 
editors have spared no trouble and the publishers 
no expense, to the end that this series may take 
its place permanently in the home and in the 
school library, superseding all others less com' 
plete and less carefully selected with reference 
to the mental and spiritual needs and the simple 
aesthetic tastes of children. A full description 
of the five volumes already published will be 
found on the following pages. 





McCLURE’S LIBRARY OF CHILDREN’S CLASSICS 

“ The Crimson Classics ” 


PINAFORE PALACE 

A BOOK OF RHYMES FOR THE NURSERY 



HIS volume is absolutely unique in scope and 
conception. It is a collection of all the best 
nursery rhymes, nonsense verses, guessing 
games, lullabies and slumber songs for the 
delectation of the very littlest readers, just as 
The Posy Ring was designed for children a little older, 
and Golden Numbers for their brothers and sisters who 
are beginning to grow up and to prepare for school and 
college. The editors have, as in the case of the former 
volumes in the series, gone through the entire field of 
available material, and drawn upon many sources that are 
remote or inaccessible for the general reader. In this way 
they have been able to recover many a veritable little 
masterpiece of nursery lore, as well as to bring together 
all the old favorites from Mother Goose and other collec¬ 
tions in a form at once compact and comprehensive. 
Teachers of kindergartens everywhere, as well as mothers 
with children to entertain at home, will welcome this little 
book and keep it on the most convenient shelf of the 
nursery bookcase. “ Every home, large or small, poor or 
rich,” writes Mrs. Wiggin in her delightful Introduction 
to The Mother in Pinafore Palace ; and, she adds later, 
“ no greater love for a task nor happiness in doing it, no 
more ardent wish to please a child or meet a mother’s 
need, ever went into a book than has been brought into 
this volume.” 


$1.50 






McCLURE’S LIBRARY OF CHILDREN’S CLASSICS 
“ The Crimson Classics ” 


MAGIC CASEMENTS 

A SECOND FAIRY BOOK 
HIS volume, a companion to “ The Fairy 
Ring,” completes that volume and makes, 
with it, the most exhaustive collection of fairy 
lore available for young readers. The editors, 
with their unerring gift for selection which in 
itself amounts to genius, have gathered those stories which 
have in them the greatest degree of that glamour which, in 
the language of Keats, opens “magic casements” on the 
world of Fairyland. These stories are for the most part 
longer and more elaborate than those in the preceding 
volume and are designed for slightly older readers. 



THE FAIRY RING 



ESIGNED by its editors to be the standard 
fairy book for children. The educational 
value of the fairy story cannot be denied in 
its healthy stimulation of the child’s imagin¬ 
ative powers. Here the collections of Grimm, 
Andersen, Joseph Jacobs, Laboulaye, Perrault, and Dasent 
have yielded their richest stores, but the editors have not 
confined themselves to these better-known sources. They 
have gone far afield, read and examined all existing books of 
fairy literature, sifting all the material till they have made 
a generous selection which is inclusive of the very best 
that has ever been written. 


“ Can hardly fail to prove the most popular anthology of its kind 
ever published.” Boston Herald. 

Each volume beautifully printed and bound; about Jf.50 pages • 
Gilt top ; postpaid, $1.50 







McCLURE'S LIBRARY OF CHILDREN’S CLASSICS 

“ The Crimson Classics ” 


GOLDEN NUMBERS 


A BOOK OF VERSE FOR YOUTH 


HE best anthology of English verse ever 
prepared for young people from the ages of 
12 to 17. It is composed entirely of the 
finest examples of English poetical literature, 
selected with special reference to the re¬ 
quirements of young people of the grammar and high 
school age. 



“ The book will charm the child for the moment; it will educate 
his tastes without awakening the suspicion that he is at school, and 
it will enrich his memory for all time to come.” Outlook. 


With an introduction by Kate Douglas Wiggin, and interleaves. 
Cloth, 500 pages ; postpaid, $2.17; net, $2.00 


THE POSY RU^G 

A BOOK OF VERSE FOR CHILDREN 

COMPANION volume to “ Golden Num¬ 
bers,’’ suitable for children from the ages of 
7 to 12. The compilers have drawn largely 
on the works of Longfellow, Stevenson, 
Lewis Carroll, Eugene Field, Mary Mapes 
Dodge and James Whitcomb Riley. Every poem will give 
delight to the child, and also to the mother who would 
read them to the little ones. 

“ Into its pages have been gathered the cream of poetry for chil¬ 
dren.” Boston Transcript. 

Printed invery large,readable type. Cloth,postpaid,$1.87; net, $1.25 



LRB D ’18 













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